Ulf Merbold
Ulf Merbold
Ulf Merbold can look back on 55 days in space over three missions. From 1967 to 1978 he conducted research at the Stuttgart-based Max Planck Institute for Metals Research on problems in solid-state physics. Two years after his graduation in 1976 he moved to the European Space Agency (ESA). During this time he qualified for the Spacelab 1 mission in 1983, during which 72 experiments were conducted in microgravity. Nine years later, on 22 January 1992, Merbold flew with Discovery on the STS-42/IML-1 mission, returning to Earth on 30 January 1992. Immediately after his second shuttle mission, Merbold began preparations for the Russian EUROMIR 94 mission. An already experienced astronaut, he embarked on this third spaceflight on 3 October 1994. The destination of the flight was the Mir station, where he stayed until 4 November 1994. He was the first ESA astronaut to participate in a Russian mission.