Latest Hans Schlegel Stories

Ten past and present ESA astronauts will be at the ILA international aerospace show at Berlin's Schoenefeld on Friday 11 June. At the same time, ESA will continue its presence on its shared stand.ESA will participate in ILA's "˜Spaceflight: Yesterday"“Today"“Tomorrow' workshop on Friday, starting at 12:00 CEST in the Space Hall (Raumfahrt-Halle). Former ESA astronauts Ulf Merbold and Ernst Messerschmid will represent the previous generation of space flyers and start the session. Current...

ESA has today opened applications for talented individuals wishing to become an astronaut in the European Astronaut Corps. There has not been a selection campaign since 1992, so this is a rare opportunity to be at the forefront of ESA's human spaceflight programs including future missions to the ISS, the Moon and beyond.Prospective candidates can now carry out the first step of the application procedure by filling in details online at www.esa.int/astronautselection.Applicants will be asked to...

This story was updated at 5:45 a.m. EST. HOUSTON — The seven astronauts of NASA's shuttle Atlantis are spending Valentine's Day with their very own Dr. Love and are due for a break as they start up a new European lab at the International Space Station (ISS). Dr. Stanley Love, an astronomer-turned-astronaut, and his STS-122 crewmates are scheduled to have a few hours off today to explore the ISS or peer down at their home planet before resuming work on the newly...

HOUSTON "“ After a busy day of spacewalking on Wednesday, the space shuttle Atlantis and International Space Station crews have a light day ahead of them, with off-duty time, interviews and preparations for Friday. The shuttle crew woke up at 2:45 a.m. to "Consider Yourself at Home." The song, which is from the musical "Oliver!", was played for Mission Specialist Stanley Love. The first major event of the day will begin at 8:55 a.m., when shuttle Commander Steve Frick, Mission Specialists...

HOUSTON — German astronaut Hans Schlegel will return to spacewalking duty outside the International Space Station (ISS) Wednesday after sitting out on an earlier excursion due to a medical issue. A veteran European Space Agency (ESA), astronaut Schlegel will step outside the ISS on his first spacewalk with crewmate Rex Walheim to replace an empty nitrogen tank on the space station's metallic backbone-like truss. "I feel really great right now," Schlegel told...

After full day's work, Columbus, Europe's new $2 billion science lab was anchored to the international space station on Monday by a team of astronauts working inside and out. The process took much longer than expected but after a long spacewalk by Rex Walheim and Stanley Love, it was culminated by the attachment of the 23-foot, 14-ton lab that was ferried up by Atlantis. The event was heralded by the astronauts who shouted and cheered when the lab reached its destination.French astronaut...

HOUSTON "“ The seven-member crew of Atlantis will spend today preparing for the mission's first spacewalk on Monday and take a closer look at a small tear on a thermal blanket over the shuttle's right Orbital Maneuvering System pod. Mission managers added a day to the mission Saturday after delaying the first spacewalk because of a crew medical issue. Plans were finalized last night for a focused inspection of Atlantis' thermal protection system today beginning at 1:15 p.m. CST. The crew...

Columbus, ESA's advanced science laboratory in space, has just been launched into orbit and is now on its way to dock with the International Space Station (ISS).Columbus was onboard NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis when it lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 20:45 CET today. For this one-way trip to Earth orbit, Columbus is in the expert hands of a crew of seven astronauts, including two members of the European astronaut corps: Léopold Eyharts of France and...

Preparations of the European Columbus laboratory took an important step earlier this week with the final closure of the module's hatch ahead of the December launch to the International Space Station.Although there was no formal ceremony to mark the occasion, the hatch closure is an important milestone for all involved. "This means we are 99% ready for flight," explains Bernardo Patti, ESA's Columbus Project Manager. "All the activities related to the pressurised volume are finished. The work...

More than 500 years ago, the voyages of Christopher Columbus to the New World and the discoveries he made caused quite a stir throughout Europe. Today, excitement is building on both sides of the Atlantic as the long-awaited launch of ESA's Columbus space laboratory grows closer, as NASA starts processing Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for the mission.Columbus was flown to Florida on 30 May 2006. Earlier this year, it was removed from temporary storage, and the 12.8 tonne International Space...