Video: Flight control, space weather and debris: What an astronaut needs to know

Just lately, Andreas Mogensen, now preparing for his “Huginn” mission to the ISS in 2023, stopped by ESA’s ESOC mission management heart in Darmstadt, Germany, to fulfill with a few of the consultants who maintain our satellites flying.

Andreas normally works at NASA’s Johnson House Middle in Houston as an ISS “capcom,” and we do not typically see him in Europe. A couple of months again, whereas returning to Germany for some coaching at ESA’s Astronaut Middle in Cologne, we seized the chance to ask him if he’d wish to cease over in Darmstadt for a glance behind the scenes at mission management, and he instantly answered, “sure!”

Andreas studied aeronautical engineering with a deal with “steerage, navigation and management of spacecraft” and we thought he’d be delighted to fulfill with the groups at mission management doing exactly that form of work for our robotic missions.

We figured he’d additionally take pleasure in assembly colleagues from our House Security program, particularly those engaged on space debris and space weather, as these are essential areas that affect the every day lifetime of astronauts on the ISS.

Andreas met with Bruno Sousa and Julia Schwartz, who assist maintain Photo voltaic Orbiter wholesome and on observe on its mission to assemble the closest-ever pictures of the Solar, observe the solar wind and our Star’s polar areas, serving to unravel the mysteries of the solar cycle.

He additionally met with Stijn Lemmens, one of many analysts retaining tabs on the space particles state of affairs in orbit, and Melanie Heil, a scientist serving to ESA perceive how space climate and our energetic sun can have an effect on missions in orbit and essential infrastructure—like energy grids—on floor.

We hope you take pleasure in this energetic and informative day at mission control as a lot as Andreas and the groups at ESOC did.