Eleven Germans have been in space so far – eleven men. Nicola Baumann could change that and become the first German woman in space: The Eurofighter pilot made it to the final in the “The Astronaut” selection process and is now training for a mission on board the ISS space station.
Ms. Baumann, your passion for flying – where does it come from for you?
Flying has always played a big role in my family. My mother, for example, was a world champion in hang gliding several times. I can still remember the day when I sat in the cockpit for the first time very clearly. I was 20 at the time and just beginning my training in the Bundeswehr. That was really exciting – and still is today. It still fascinates me when I fly through a closed cloud cover and then the sun and the bright blue sky spread above. That makes my heart swell every time.
If all goes well, you will fly even higher - into space - in 2020.
This would be a dream come true for me. Even as a child, I found the idea of the vastness of space incredibly exciting - and of course the huge spaceships that glide through distant galaxies and discover strange worlds. As a little girl, I devoured books about space, the planets and the sun, and later science fiction films like Star Trek or Star Wars were a must. This mix of adventure, pioneering spirit, technology and research is simply fascinating. So it was clear to me: become an astronaut? Of course, I have to take advantage of this unique opportunity!
What will be the goal of the ISS mission?
The whole thing is a science mission and will probably last ten to 14 days. Short-term experiments will be carried out on board to collect medical data on women in space. How do the eyes react to weightlessness? What about bone loss? Are there any differences to men? Because one thing is clear: we need more women in space. So far only ten percent of astronauts have been female.
This also applies to many other technical professions.
Yes, unfortunately. We have five female fighter pilots across Germany – and in contrast, a few hundred men. I myself have never been afraid of technical or mathematical topics. Not because you have to have a particularly great talent for it, but because these things require hard work, practice and curiosity. Ultimately, math, physics or computer science are languages like English or French - they are just spoken differently. That's why I always said to myself: Of course I can do that too, why not? There are so many great female scientists, engineers, doctors and pilots – I hope there will be more. You should always go your own way and not follow any gender stereotypes.
How are you prepared for the space mission?
The training begins in July, and the first major training takes place in August, during which we, among other things, do a parabolic flight in Russia. A flight maneuver in which you achieve weightlessness and can thereby train how you work, eat or move. In addition, I have to learn Russian, the working language on the ISS, complete diving training, study space history and go into the centrifuge, where acceleration forces are simulated. At the moment it's all still totally surreal for me. But the idea of putting on a spacesuit one morning in 2020 and then later experiencing weightlessness and looking down at the Earth and the northern lights is overwhelming.
What three career tips would you give to young women?
First: I have always followed my talents and never tried to force myself to do something that I don't like. If you act like that, a lot of things will fall into place.
Second: I let very little outside influence on me and actually always did what I wanted to do.
And thirdly: A truism, but true: Hard work and discipline lead to success.
Nicola Baumann is your table captain at the networking event herCareer@Night. If you get it on October 12th If you want to meet, take part and win a ticket worth 49 euros. How? Simply write an email to verlosung@her-career.com (including certificate of enrollment or copy of your valid student ID). The herCareer career fair will take place in Munich on October 12th/13th, 2017.
Eleven Germans have been in space so far – eleven men. Nicola Baumann, a Eurofighter pilot in the Bundeswehr, could change that.
