European Space Agency Astronaut Matthias Maurer Returns to Germany

European Space Agency Astronaut Matthias Maurer Returns to Germany

European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer is back in Cologne, Germany, after 177 days in space and 175 days aboard the International Space Station for his first mission ‘Cosmic Kiss’.

The Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying Matthias and his Crew-3 crewmates, NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida, USA on Friday, May 6, 2022. The journey from the International Space Station to splashdown took just over 23 hours.

After its water landing, the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft was hoisted aboard a recovery boat where the hatch was opened, and the astronauts were welcomed home.

Matthias underwent initial medical checks aboard the boat before being flown by helicopter to shore and boarding a plane to Cologne. He will spend the next weeks participating in debriefings, providing samples for scientific evaluation and readapting to Earth’s gravity at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre (EAC) and the German Aerospace Centre’s (DLR) ‘Envihab’ facility.

Learn more about Matthias' Cosmic Kiss Mission:

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Cosmic_kiss   

Astronaut Matthia Maurer Offical ESA Biography:

https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Matthias_Maurer

Credit: ESA - P. Sebirot

Image Date: May 7, 2022

#NASA #ESA #ISS #SpaceX #Endurance #Crew3 #Spacecraft #Earth #Florida #GulfofMexico #Astronaut #MattheusMaurer #DLR #Germany #Deutschland #CosmicKiss #FlightEngineer #HumanSpaceflight #Science #Technology #Research #Europe #UnitedStates #STEM #Education