In his introductory lecture ("Wir sind alle Astronaut*innen: Die Raum-Fahrt der Gesellschaft", “We are all astronauts: The journey into space of society”), the Berlin sociologist Prof. Dr. DierkSpreen offered a very informative insight into the genesis of institutional aerospace and the process that turned aerospace into a social and even a private business object. In doing so, Dierk Spreen does not see any contradiction between the human quest for sustainable economic action and space travel; rather, he defines it as an integral part of human activity geared towards sustainability. At the same time, he acknowledges that very general questions (e.g. "Who owns space?") and political questions about sharing the benefits and profits of space exploration are far from settled at international level.
The programme manager for life sciences at the German Aerospace Center (DLR, Bonn), Dr. rer. nat. habil. Markus Braun, emphasised in his lecture ("Research in Space and Exploration for People on Earth") that the German space strategy draws its justification from its orientation towards the interests and needs of people on earth.
Markus Braun facilitated an impressive visit for the group to the German Aerospace Center on the outskirts of Cologne. There, the group was given a tour of the Microgravity User Support Center (MUSC) and the Envihab medical research facility. Finally, the Head of the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) of the European Space Agency (ESA), Dr Rüdiger Seine, received the scholarship holders at his institute. Life recordings of the activities on the International Space Station ISS and the concrete insight into the original model of the European space laboratory "Columbus" will be remembered by the participants of this exciting seminar for a long time.
