Alexander Gerst's second mission on the International Space Station ISS

hori­zons

A journey of discovery for science and society

Gerst embarked on his mission to the International Space Station ISS – 'horizons - knowledge for tomorrow' – on 6 June 2018. There he worked for the second time in the largest international technology project of all time.

Alexander Gerst returned to Earth on 20 December 2018, after spending 197 days in space, The Soyuz MS-09 landed according to plan at 06:02 Central European Time (CET) near Karaganda in the steppe of Kazakhstan. The spacecraft with the German ESA astronaut and the NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor and the Russian cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev had left the space station at 02:40 CET. Just under three and a half hours later, the crew of ISS Expedition 57 had solid ground under their feet again.

Gerst embarked on his mission to the International Space Station ISS – 'horizons – knowledge for tomorrow' – on 6 June 2018. There he worked for the second time in the largest international technology project of all time. From the beginning of October he was also commander of the ISS.

Facts of Mission horizons

Mission

horizons – Knowledge for Tomorrow (Expedition 56/57)

Number of German experiments

41

Astronaut

Alexander Gerst (born 3 May 1976 in Künzelsau)

Launch to ISS

6 June 2018, 13:12 CEST

Mission duration

expected to be 187 days

Docking

8 June 2018, 15:07 CEST

Hatch opening

8 June 2018, 17:05 CEST

Crew Expedition 56

Andrew Jay Feustel (NASA), Commander; Oleg Germanovich Artemyev (Roscosmos); Richard R. Arnold (NASA); Alexander Gerst (ESA), Commander; Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor (NASA); Sergei Prokopiev (Roscosmos)

Crew Expedition 57

Alexander Gerst (ESA), Commander; Serena Maria Auñón-Chancellor (NASA); Sergei Prokopyev (Roscosmos); Alexei Nikolajewitsch Owtschinin (Roscosmos); Nikolai Tikhonov (Roscosmos); Tyler Nicklaus Hague (NASA)

Return to Earth

20 December 2018

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Gallery

'Horizons' mission logo
The ISS-mission Horizons lasted 197 days. The German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst also served as ISS commander during his time on board.
Image: 1/19, Credit:

DLR/ESA/Steinbeis Beratungszentren GmbH.

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German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst
During the second half of his mission, Gerst will lead this international space community as Mission horizons commander of the ISS.
Image: 2/19, Credit:

NASA.

CIMON and project managers at Kennedy Space Center
From left to right: DLR Project Manager Christian Karrasch and Airbus Systems Engineer Philipp Schulien with CIMON in front of the Vehicle Assembly Building of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
Image: 19/19, Credit:

Video

Alexander Gerst: Best of his 'horizons' mission
Alexander Gerst returned to Earth on 20 December 2018, after spending 197 days in space.

Alexander Gerst: Best of his 'horizons' mission

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Alexander Gerst: Best of his 'horizons' mission
Alexander Gerst returned to Earth on 20 December 2018, after spending 197 days in space.

Selection of german horizons experiments

Cold Atom Lab - Furthering our knowledge of fundamental physics
DLR infographic of horizons experiment Cold Atoms Lab - new ISS laboratory for ultracold atomic research.
Image: 1/9, Credit:
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CompGran - understanding the movement of granules – improving industrial processes
DLR infographic of horizons experiment CompGran - understanding the movement of granules – improving industrial processes.
Image: 2/9, Credit:
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MagVector/MFX-2: A planetary laboratory in earth orbit
This DLR infographic presents the relevant facts about this horizons experiment at a glance.
Image: 9/9, Credit:
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Background articles

Cold Atoms Lab: new ISS laboratory for ultracold atomic research

The Cold Atoms Lab (CAL) is a compact, atom chip-based facility for examining ultra-cold quantum gases such as Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC).

Experiment CIMON: astronaut assistance system

CIMON is an innovative and globally unique astronaut assistance system. This autonomous flying system is equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) from IBM and will be used for the first time by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst during the horizons mission.

CompGran: understanding the movement of granules – improving industrial processes

As a national contribution, sample cells (CompGran) are manufactured on behalf of the DLR Space Administration for the Soft Matter Dynamics experiment. In this experiment, the dynamics of granules of various densities are examined.

DESIS: DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer

The DESIS imaging spectrometer can depict the land surface, oceans and atmosphere with great accuracy. Unlike conventional satellite-based spectrometers, DESIS has a high number of channels in the 400 to 1000 nanometre range.

FLUMIAS: 'live' examination of cells under microgravity

FLUMIAS is a high-resolution fluorescence microscope for live-cell imaging. It provides a view inside cells of the human body and other living things with high temporal and spatial resolution.

Gene Control Prime: gene regulation of immune cells

Gene Control Prime is looking for evidence of the effect of space conditions on the human immune system and bone metabolism. The results should help to understand the general causes of immunodeficiency and to develop new therapies.

ICARUS: technology demonstration – research on animal migrations

ICARUS is based on a cooperation between the DLR Space Administration and the Russian space agency Roscosmos. Using funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (MPIO) in Radolfzell develops a new system for the global tracking of animal migrations.

Immuno-2: what weakens our immune system?

The Immuno-2 experiment continues with research relating to the functioning of the immune system when humans spend prolonged periods in space. Besides microgravity and radiation, a variety of stress factors such as isolation, heavy workloads and disruption of sleep rhythms can weaken the immune system.

MagVector/MFX-2: a planetary laboratory on the ISS

Surfaces or ionospheres can be simulated with the experimental core of MFX. The ISS provides ideal conditions to study such phenomena – the space station travels across Earth’s magnetic field at 28,000 kilometres per hour. This cannot be reproduced in any laboratory on Earth.

METERON SUPVIS Justin: an astronaut in space and a robot on Earth working together

The METERON SUPVIS experiments – a collaboration between DLR and ESA – demonstrate the control of intelligent robots on planetary surfaces by astronauts in orbit. Rollin' Justin at the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics in Oberpfaffenhofen receives its instructions from a tablet computer on the ISS.

Myotones: ISS research helps improve rehabilitation in muscle and bone atrophy

The Myotones project aims to analyse the basic biomechanical properties of the skeletal muscles in a non-invasive way, using a small, handheld device. With MyotonPRO, changes in human resting muscle (tone, elasticity and rigidity) caused by lack of gravity are measured and evaluated for astronauts onboard the ISS.

Photobioreactor PBR: from carbon dioxide to oxygen

The PBR will demonstrate a hybrid life support system for the first time. This is an important milestone in closing resource cycles. This approach is beneficial to space as a step in reducing resupply requirements, thus enabling future exploration missions

PK-4: exploring plasmas in microgravity – understanding atomic processes

Plasma crystal experiments are a flagship European-Russian project as they are among the most successful research efforts having taken place on the International Space Station (ISS). The PKE Nefedov plasma crystal facility was one of the first scientific research laboratories on the ISS.

TRANSPARENT: exploring melting under microgravity conditions

TRANSPARENT-1 will help researchers understand the behaviour of molten material as it solidifies and predict it as precisely as possible. This will allow for better simulation of casting processes on Earth.

horizons

School competition 'Earth Guardians 2.0': ideas to safeguard the environment

Acting on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) and in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (MPO), the DLR Space Administration is once again organising an ideas competition for Alexander Gerst’s second ISS mission – 'Earth Guardians 2.0'.

ARISS: radio signals from the classroom into space

A loud noise echoes through the air, permeating the entire school building. The first radio waves from the International Space Station (ISS) arrive on the antenna on the roof of the school. Otherwise, there is absolute silence. Despite the several hundred students packed closely together, you could hear a pin drop. Then the radio call from German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst becomes audible and the audience breathes a collective sigh of relief.

'High-flyers': student experiments on the International Space Station ISS

'High-flyers' searched for and found – from 14 December 2016 to 28 February 2017 – student teams from all the universities in Germany had the opportunity to submit entries for a very special kind of competition organised by the German Space Agency at DLR. The top prize – the opportunity to send an experiment to the International Space Station (ISS) and conduct research in a space environment.

A voyage through time and space

On 29 May 2017, ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, announced the name of his second space mission - horizons – but that was not all. In addition to the logo and the experiments he will conduct on board the International Space Station (ISS) in 2018, he also used the press conference to present a very special object – a Time Capsule. It will join him on his journey into space.

Downloads

Brochure: horizons mission (2018)

8.0 MB | PDF

horizons – a journey of discovery for science an society

Participating DLR institutes and facilities

German Space Agency at DLR

The German Space Agency at DLR (formerly DLR Space Administration) acts as Germany’s space agency and, in this capacity, implements the Federal Government’s space strategy. It has approximately 300 employees and is based in Bonn.

Earth Observation Center EOC

The Earth Observation Center at DLR consists of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) and the Remote Sensing Technology Institute with locations in Oberpfaffenhofen, Neustrelitz and Berlin-Adlershof as well as an office in Bremen.

Institute of Aerospace Medicine

Within the entire German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Institute of Aerospace Medicine is the only research institute that focuses on life science issues related to transport and aerospace.

Institute of Optical Sensor Systems

The Institute of Optical Sensor Systems investigates and develops active and passive optical sensor systems for satellites, flying platforms and robotic systems.

Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics

The Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics develops a wide array of robots to enable humans to interact more safely and efficiently with their surrounding environments.

Space Operations and Astronaut Training

DLR Space Operations is the central institution for spaceflight operations in Germany. This responsibility includes satellite missions for Earth observation, science and communication missions as well as the exploration of the Solar System and human spaceflight missions.

Related links

For the next gen­er­a­tion of re­searchers

DLR offers very special opportunities for the next generation of researchers. Students can complete internships at DLR institutes and carry out their degree projects, where they may even have the opportunity to get involved in international programmes.

International Space Station ISS

The International Space Station ISS is the largest technology project of all time – humanity's outpost in space. At the same time, it is a orbiting laboratory that provides unprecedented possibilities for scientific and industrial research.

Opportunities for young scientists

In order to successfully handle research projects in the future as well, DLR offers many interesting opportunities for young people to get informed and even to complete an educational programme at one of DLR's sites.

Contact

Elke Heinemann

Digital Communications
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Corporate Communications
Linder Höhe, 51147 Cologne
Tel: +49 2203 601-1852

Volker Schmid

ISS Specialist Group Leader, Head of the Cosmic Kiss Mission
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
German Space Agency at DLR
Science and Exploration
Königswinterer Straße 522-524, 53227 Bonn

Martin Fleischmann

German Aerospace Center (DLR)
German Space Agency at DLR
Communications & Media Relations
Königswinterer Straße 522-524, 53227 Bonn
Tel: +49 228 447-120