All Astronauts
ELITEActiveESA
ELITEActiveESAESA·🇩🇪 Germany·Born 1976
Alexander Gerst
Geophysicist and volcanologist.
330d
Days in Space
2
Missions
0
EVAs
—
EVA Time
Horizons are a symbol for the unknown and when I gaze at the horizon I cannot help but wonder what lies behind it.
Inspirations
Catherine Coleman
What they aspire to
He hopes humanity will broaden its horizons through scientific exploration of space.
Biography
Geophysicist and volcanologist. Second ESA astronaut to command the ISS. Known for his stunning photography from orbit.
Before NASAVolcanologist who earned a doctorate from the University of Hamburg in 2010 and conducted research expeditions on every continent before joining ESA.
Notable Missions
Expedition 40/41Expedition 56/57 (Commander)
Beyond the Mission
Hobbies & Interests
paraglidingmountain bikingscuba divingclimbing
Causes They Champion
Climate change awarenessSTEM education
Languages
GermanEnglishRussian
Awards & Honors
- Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Humboldt Medal in gold
- Westphalian Peace Prize
- Bernd Rendel Prize
Fun fact
He brought CIMON, the first AI-powered floating robot assistant, to the ISS during his Horizons mission in 2018.
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