From Blue Dot to horizons: Germany on the ISS

摘要

This paper gives an overview about the role of the German Space Administration vis a vis ESA and describes the German participation in the ISS missions Blue Dot and in the horizons of German ESA Astronaut Alexander Gerst. Both missions had substantial national contribution as well as some industrial driven experiments. Many of these experiments were developed and implemented as fast track projects including many COTS elements. Some of these projects were technical and scientific challenges. Some examples and comparison conclude the paper.