Manned spaceflight
09/08/2026What is everyday life like on a space station? Astronaut Reinhold will be talking about this, amongst other things, at a Schelling Forum event on 15 September.
Ever since the Artemis 2 lunar mission by the US space agency NASA, at the very latest, a new fascination with manned spaceflight has taken hold of the public. International space agencies are planning outposts on the Moon and, in the more distant future, possibly on Mars as well.
In 1997, Reinhold Ewald flew to the Russian space station Mir as a science astronaut for 18 days. During this time, he orbited the Earth 320 times and, as a qualified physicist, carried out experiments in biomedicine and materials science, as well as operational tests, amongst other things. In his introductory talk, he looks back on his time in space: what is everyday life like on a space station, and what challenges did he have to overcome as an astronaut?
Ewald will then discuss the latest developments in space travel with journalist Theresa Palm: How has the sector evolved since his time on the Mir space station? What international collaborations have taken place since then? What can be expected from the colonisation projects on the Moon and Mars? What particular significance does manned spaceflight have compared to satellite- or robot-based space exploration?
The event will take place on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, starting at 6.00 pm. The venue is the Mozartareal, Hofstraße 11, in Würzburg.
Speaker
Prof. Dr Reinhold Ewald is Professor Emeritus of Astronautics and Space Stations at the Institute for Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart. As an astronaut, he flew to the Mir space station in 1997. In the same year, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit. He was first a member of the German astronaut team and later also of the Corps of the European Space Agency (ESA). Today, Ewald works as a science communicator and space ambassador for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Moderator
Dr Theresa Palm is a journalist and holds a PhD in physics. Following her journalism training at the Henri Nannen School, she worked as an editor at GEO and P.M. Since 2023, she has been reporting on physics and space as an editor in the Science section of the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Registration: Attendance is free of charge, but prior registration via the registration portal is required .
Contact: schelling-forum@badw.de
