The fascination of infinite space: astronaut Matthias Maurer has experienced it. In his autobiography, he talks about his spectacular mission to the ISS, his research, and what he learned in space, about the Earth and humanity.Only twelve Germans have ever left our planet. And Matthias Maurer is one of them. But for the scientist, the road to space is long and rocky. In 2009, he passed the tough selection process of the European Space Agency (ESA) and began astronaut training in 2015. He traveled across Europe, training in China, Japan, Russia, Canada and the USA to prepare himself for everything that can happen in space.
In autumn 2021, he finally launched the "Cosmic Kiss" mission to the International Space Station. He lived and worked on board the ISS space station for almost six months. He not only experienced a satellite shootdown by Russia, but also the outbreak of war in Ukraine from space. Floating 400 kilometers above his home, he realizes how vulnerable the earth is. Only separated from the hostile vacuum by a thin shell, he learns what solidarity and teamwork mean.
"And there it is at last, my first free, almost poetically touching view of this magically wonderful oasis in the middle of the darkest darkness of absolute nothingness. A realization that frightens me a little: the earth is bright and vibrantly blue. The sky, on the other hand, is always black. Even during the day." — Matthias Maurer
Matthias Maurer's autobiographical report on his journey to the stars and his life in orbit inspires with scientific details, thrilling stories from the everyday life of an astronaut and unbridled joy of discovery. The 600th person to ever leave the earth describes his thrilling adventures from a very personal perspective and explains in a way that everyone can understand how space travel works and what life in weightlessness feels like.
After the success of the ISS mission, Maurer has his sights firmly set on the next goal: a flight to the moon as part of the Artemis program.
posted 09-28-2024 11:25 AM
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