Berlin woman to be first German woman in space
After a conversation about the cosmos with a crypto millionaire, scientist Rabea Rogge may become the first German woman to fly to space soon. Currently, she is undergoing astronaut training in the USA to study the polar region in a SpaceX rocket.
After an expedition training in the icy Spitzbergen, Rabea Rogge could become the first German woman to fly to space soon. She met Chun Wang during the training in the high north and talked to him about the cosmos, the 28-year-old reports. Half a year later, Wang, who became rich with cryptocurrencies, wrote to her asking if she wanted to accompany him on a multi-day mission with the US company SpaceX. "I never would have dreamed of this!" she said.
Rogge is now in the USA, where she is completing a training program for the flight. The young woman from Berlin is no stranger to life abroad. She studied for her bachelor's and master's degrees in Zurich and also spent a year studying in Stockholm. If it weren't for the space mission, she would now be pursuing her robotics doctorate in the Arctic in Norwegian Trondheim. But now she has been released from that.
Same Training as Astronauts Receive
The mission could start as early as the end of the year, so Rogge doesn't have much time to prepare. She has already completed the medical examinations, centrifuge training, and expedition training, as Rogge reports. Recently, the technical training in California began. "That's where you learn how to fly the capsule," she says.
It is the same program as that for astronauts of the US space agency NASA and the European Space Agency ESA, who also fly with the SpaceX capsule "Dragon," she explains. "Of course, state astronauts have a lot more training units because they are not only in space for three to five days, but for several months."
Rogge to Observe Polar Regions
During the "Fram2" mission, named after a ship of Norwegian polar researchers in the 19th century, the team wants to observe the polar regions, the Arctic and Antarctic. Rogge is the scientist in the four-member team. She is responsible for investigating a mysterious sky glow, among other things. In addition to Chun Wang, the team includes a film maker from Norway, a polar guide from Australia, and Rogge.
The 28-year-old is definitely not afraid of new challenges. During her studies, she joined a team that set out to build a satellite. "We managed to build a prototype within a year, test it on a parabolic flight, and ultimately win an ESA competition," she recalls. That was an incredibly inspiring time.
She then told Wang about her experience with the satellite team during the Spitzbergen expedition. "That's how I started talking to Chun about space projects." Chun Wang, whose Chinese name is Wang Chun, describes himself as a Bitcoin millionaire and a perpetual world traveler. He comes from the Chinese metropolis of Tianjin but took Maltese citizenship last year.
28-Year-Old Wants to Represent Germany and Berlin Well
If the mission takes off, Rogge will be the first German woman in space. "That was definitely not the first thing I thought of when I agreed to participate in the mission," she said. But now she will of course do her best to represent Germany and her hometown of Berlin well.
As of now, twelve men from Germany have been to space. The ESA aims to encourage more women to apply to make the team more diverse, German astronaut Alexander Gerst said three years ago. "Whether young or old, man or woman: We simply can't afford to fly one-sided crews," explained Gerst, who has been to space twice.
Even Matthias Maurer, the most recent German in space, encourages girls and boys dreaming of a career in space. Maurer pointed to his US colleague Kayla Barron, who was with him on the International Space Station ISS. "She's a wonderful astronaut, and she does many things better than us guys."
German ESA reserve astronaut Nicola Winter believes not just one, but twelve German women should fly to space - as many as men have so far. She commented on the announcement of the flight on Instagram, saying she's happy for Rogge if it works out. But: It's actually a tourist flight. What's really needed, she says, is medical, biological, and material research with many women in space, "because women tick biologically differently than men."
Winter lists how many women were supposed to be the first German women in space and counts at least seven. It never worked out, though. What if it doesn't work out for Rogge? The 28-year-old won't give up. "I had planned to apply in the next round of ESA selections."
Upon completion of her training, Rogge may embark on her mission with the European Space Agency (ESA), as SpaceX's Dragon capsule also carries ESA astronauts.
Should her mission be successful, Rabea Rogge will become the first German woman to fly to space, representing Germany's and Berlin's dreams of exploration within the European Union's space program.
