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For Mathias Maurer Christmas[/B] will be unforgettable. The German astronaut from the Saar region in southwest Germany will spend it at an altitude of 400 kilometres on the International Space Station ISS.
"Christmas in space will of course be special," Matthias Maurer tells the German news agency dpa: "I will see all parts of the world from above and celebrate thinking of all humanity on earth. It is a very nice thought."
The celebration on Christmas Eve, as is customary in Germany, will be short: "We will be working and will have to postpone the big celebration until the next day," says the 51-year-old astronaut.
The reason is that two days before the Space-X resupply spacecraft is due to arrive at the International Space Station, carrying among other things European experiments and biological samples, the processing of which must begin immediately.
"I'm going to miss having dinner with family and friends"[BR][C] The Space-X resupply spacecraft will also carry "a few surprises from our people" to the ISS, says Mathias Maurer: "I hope there will be a little present for me among them." The astronauts are also looking forward to the Christmas meal. But it goes without saying that "it will not be as tasty as the traditional Christmas meal in my home country", says the German astronaut half-seriously.
On Christmas Day, Matthias Maurer will unpack a small, fake Christmas tree and make a phone call to his family: "I will miss most the communal table with family and friends, the treats and old stories we tell every year. I will also miss the walk we take after dinner in the forest and the personal time."
The European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut has been on board the International Space Station (ISS) since 11 November with three other colleagues from NASA. Maurer is the twelfth German in space and the fourth on the ISS. He will stay on the space station for a total of six months to conduct experiments and perhaps a spacewalk.
[BR][BR][BR]"When you see the earth from above, you realize how small it is."[BR][BR] So far he hasn't been homesick, says Mathias Maurer: "Here on the ISS there is so much to discover and so much to do that there is no time to think about what you might be missing. Asked what impresses him most, he answers: "The view of the earth and the impressive adaptability of the human brain, which seems to say, this is your new environment, this is your new home."
The German astronaut takes a positive view of the change of perspective: "When you are on earth you get the impression that it is vast. But when you see our planet from above you realise how small it is. There is so much space around us that we don't understand and haven't explored. I think we still haven't grasped the limitless possibilities that space gives us."
Time passes incredibly fast, the German astronaut stresses, adding: "We have so much to do on the ISS and that is definitely a positive thing. All day long we are doing experiments and maintenance work. And in the evening you go to bed exhausted or more correctly float in your sleeping bag."
Source: in.gr
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