Inspiring! University Lecture with ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter

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November 28, 2017

At the end, there was nothing but applause for Thomas Reiter, the German ESA astronaut, who spent 350 days of his life in space on board the Russian space station Mir and later the ISS.

“Current highlights and the future of human and robotic space travel in Europe" was the theme of Reiters University Lecture. The audience, around 150 students, member of staff and scientists of Jacobs University, as well as invited guests, listened attentively to what he had to say.

Reiter is still active in the field of space travel as coordinator of the European Space Agency (ESA) and advisor to the director-general. In his lecture, which was followed by an intense discussion, he highlighted some of the main trends at ESA, including current and planned space missions to Moon and Mars. He also pointed out the importance of the scientific experiences in space in reaching the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

Thomas Reiter was welcomed by Prof. Dr. Katja Windt, President of Jacobs University. “We have a great deal in common with the ESA”, she said, “even if we are not overcoming the limits of gravity: cooperation across the divides of nations and disciplines, for example. Our campus brings together students and academics from more than 100 nations. We work together – and only together can we conquer divides.”