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Esa astronaut Matthias Maurer on the ISS
Photo: - / dpa
Weightlessness still bothered the German astronaut Matthias Maurer two weeks after his arrival on the International Space Station.
»Unfortunately, as a beginner, it still happens too often to me that I open pockets too wide and then the entire contents suddenly float out in all directions.
In these moments I wish I had as many arms as an octopus, "said Maurer on Friday from the" Bild "newspaper.
After all these years of waiting and intensive preparation, he now feels very happy and liberated, even though he has his hands full.
"I'm not here for fun and the many experiments have to be done carefully," says Maurer.
Unfortunately, the work in weightlessness is not that easy either.
“Where the head is is up.
The feet always point to the ground.
Even if everyone else is upside down and says the same thing. "
Diet in space
Maurer also wrote that space is an ideal place to lose weight. It is not easy to "cram in" enough calories. »The feeling of satiety is much stronger in weightlessness. Maybe because the food is floating in the stomach? ”He also has to do two hours of exercise every day to prevent bone and muscle wasting. He sleeps perfectly and hangs weightlessly diagonally in his cabin. You don't need a pillow. "I tied my sleeping bag to a rubber cord with a single snap hook so that I didn't drift away completely." In addition, you need a lot less toothpaste in space because it foams a lot more.
He wishes that everyone could see this sight of the earth with their own eyes.
»You can literally feel that there is life on earth with this energetic, luminous blue, even if you can't see it directly with your eyes.
And the fact that this fluff of air between the surface and the vacuum is the only thing that guarantees life on the planet gives you a cold shudder. "
Small talk with the robot Cimon
A robot by the name of Cimon also ensures Maurer's well-being on board.
The assistance system is a free-flying device the size of a medicine ball with voice control and a display.
Cimon has been on the ISS for a long time and is supposed to support the astronauts in their daily work.
He can help if you have questions about specific tasks.
For example, whether a cable should be soldered on the left or on the right
"If he ever feels bad, Matthias will say:" Cheer me up a bit, tell me a joke or tell me something funny, "and then something will come," said the head of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher.
The idea behind it is that the missions will eventually get longer.
"Of course you need the information first," said Aschbacher.
Especially with longer flights you cannot contact the NASA flight control center in Houston directly.
But Cimon is also about more, explained Aschbacher, namely "that this artificial intelligence companion also keeps some company and offers some entertainment, which is of course always very desirable."
Esa astronaut Maurer arrived at the ISS two weeks ago with his three NASA colleagues.
The 51-year-old from Saarland is the twelfth German in space, the fourth on the ISS - and the first to fly there in a »Crew Dragon«.
On the ISS, he will carry out numerous experiments for about six months at an altitude of around 400 kilometers and will probably also complete an outdoor mission.
Most recently, Alexander Gerst, a German astronaut from the European Space Agency, was on board the ISS in 2018.
fww / dpa
