Commander Gerst
German astronaut Alexander Gerst returns to the ISS.
Space does not have a higher position to offer at the moment: Alexander Gerst, the 40-year-old European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, will be Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) in 2018 – the first German to hold this rank. “This is a great opportunity for me and a great mark of confidence from our international partners the United States and Russia in the ESA,” says the highly qualified geophysicist and volcanologist. He is glad to be able to “contribute to one of humankind’s greatest exploration adventures to study new horizons”. In 2014 Alexander Gerst spent five months working on the ISS – and sparked considerable interest in research through his active participation on social media.
