Staff Reporter ESA astronaut Dr Matthias Maurer has encouraged Namibian learners to dream big and pursue careers in science and space exploration, sharing his experiences from 177 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during his Cosmic Kiss mission. Maurer was speaking at Windhoek High School (WHS) Stadium on Monday as part of his Astronaut on Tour visit to Windhoek, where he took learners through his journey from growing up in a German village to becoming an astronaut and living and working in space. He told learners that becoming an astronaut requires extensive training in areas including mathematics, physics, biology, languages, medicine, engineering and survival skills. “I learned a lot, and in my brain I thought I understood everything. But the moment you see planet Earth from outside, you actually feel in your heart what it means to be out there in space,” Maurer said. He described seeing Earth from the ISS as one of the most powerful experiences of his mission, saying the atmosphere appeared thin and fragile and reinforced the need to protect the planet. Maurer said he initially dreamed of becoming a pilot as a child and did not allow himself to dream of becoming an astronaut because he viewed astronauts as “American superheroes”. He later discovered that the European Space Agency was recruiting astronauts and decided to pursue the opportunity. “Luckily, I remained the kind of a child myself even when I grew up. And when I became an adult, I learned that the European Space Agency was looking for astronauts,” he said. His message to learners was to recognise their potential and not be afraid to pursue ambitious goals. “The message for you is in every one of you, there’s tremendous potential. You need to have a big dream,” Maurer said. He explained that astronaut training includes spacewalk preparation, underwater training, survival training, spacecraft operations, medical training, language learning and simulations designed to prepare astronauts for emergencies. English and Russian are mandatory for ISS operations, while Maurer said he had learned seven languages during his career, including Chinese in preparation for potential cooperation with Chinese spaceflight programmes. He also described the physical and mental demands of a rocket launch, explaining that astronauts accelerate from zero to about 28,000 kilometres per hour within 10 minutes. Once aboard the ISS, Maurer said his days were tightly scheduled, with astronauts working for about 10 hours a day and spending two hours exercising to maintain muscle and bone strength. He took part in about 150 experiments during his mission, including research into human health, materials and concrete. Maurer said the absence of gravity allows scientists to study materials and biological processes under conditions that cannot be replicated on Earth. He highlighted an experiment involving concrete, explaining that cement production contributes significantly to global carbon dioxide emissions. He said concrete produced under microgravity conditions was found to be about 20% stronger, potentially offering opportunities to reduce emissions in the future. Water conservation was another important aspect of life in space, with Maurer explaining that the ISS recycles about 91% of its water. He also spoke about the challenges of living in microgravity, including eating, sleeping, exercising and using the toilet, as well as the need to prevent food particles and other objects from floating through the spacecraft. One of the most challenging experiences of his mission was a spacewalk with fellow astronaut Raja Chari, during which Maurer became temporarily entangled in his safety tethers. He said the incident demonstrated the importance of teamwork and knowing when to ask for help. “You have to speak up, you have to call the ground and say, look, I made a mistake. Can you help me?” he said. Maurer said returning to Earth was also physically demanding, as astronauts must readjust to gravity after months in space. He said rehabilitation can take about three weeks before an astronaut can return to normal activities such as running. Looking ahead, Maurer said his next major ambition is to travel to the Moon. He said his three major astronaut dreams were to travel into space, conduct a spacewalk and eventually travel to the Moon, adding that he remains hopeful that he could achieve the third dream within the next five years. “We want to return to the Moon. We want to find water ice in the polar regions, we want to set up telescopes, we want to build a Moon base,” he said. Maurer ended his presentation by encouraging learners to consider careers as scientists, researchers and astronauts, noting that many of the experiments conducted in space originate from ideas developed by scientists on Earth. He said the generation currently in school could be the one to explore the Moon and potentially Mars. Photo: National Commission on Research, Science and Technology – (NCRST) The post Astronaut inspires Namibian learners with space journey appeared first on Informanté.

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