There were not enough seats in the large lecture theatre in Wechloy to accommodate all the interested listeners when former astronaut Thomas Reiter reported on his work in space as part of the physics colloquium. The aerospace engineer spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) as the third member of the crew. The predominantly young audience listened with rapt attention to Thomas Reiter's sometimes very amusing descriptions of what everyday life in space is like. Using impressive video sequences and photos from the European Astrolab mission in 2006, he reported on his trip into space, which he was the only German astronaut to have undertaken to date. "But it was anything but a walk in the park. Because every little movement in the space suit requires enormous strength under the pressurised conditions of space, so every move has to be clear and practised many times beforehand," Reiter explains. In addition to repair work and installing new technical equipment, Reiter and his colleague had enough time to take breathtaking views of the Earth. His images of the night side of the Earth, illuminated by lightning storms and the lights of cities with millions of inhabitants, were also fascinating. Every ninety minutes, the ISS space station orbited the earth at a speed of 28,000 kilometres per hour. During his 142-day stay, Reiter undertook a total of 19 scientific experiments in the fields of human medicine, physics and biology, which were meticulously planned in advance and allowed hardly any deviation from the respective well-structured daily schedule. The subsequent questions from the audience also covered a wide range of topics, from the cost of space shuttles and whether you can only take part in such a mission as a member of the German Armed Forces to the important question: "Is there internet on board the ISS?"
Conclusion: A crowning, very successful end to the semester of the physics colloquium, not only for listeners from the Institute of Physics.