On 8th November 2013 Prof. Ernst Messerschmid ceremoniously celebrated the beginning of his retirement in the framework of a colloquium in the Space Centre Baden-Württemberg (RZBW). The former Director of the Institute of Space Systems (IRS) at the University of Stuttgart became known to the wider public in 1985 as an astronaut in the Space Shuttle Challenger. The keynote speaker at the event, which was attended by numerous guests from science and the space industry, was Dr. Thomas Reiter, ESA astronaut and Head of the ESA-Directorate Space and Mission Operation in Darmstadt with a lecture on the topic of “Perspectives of astronautical space travel“.
In his address, the officiating IRS Head Prof. Hans-Peter Röser paid tribute to the achievements
of Ernst Messerschmid: “As the third German astronaut, as Head of the European Astronaut Centre and
as Professor at the University of Stuttgart as well as through his work on many committees, Ernst
Messerschmid has left a lasting mark on international space travel. As a teacher and researcher, he
fascinated and inspired young people in particular as a result of his urge to discover and his
curiosity. Space technology was constantly given new impetus through his research activities at the
University of Stuttgart and with this he made a decisive contribution to today’s technical standard
that enjoys an international reputation.“
University Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel, who welcomed the guests to the farewell ceremony,
underlined the great popularity of the science astronaut: ‘Prof. Ernst Messerschmid influenced the
international reputation of space research at the University of Stuttgart to a special degree.
Through his achievements as a scientist and as an ambassador of space travel, he made a vital
contribution to the reputation of the University of Stuttgart in public.“
About Ernst Messerschmid
Ernst Messerschmid, born on 21st May 1945 in Reutlingen, has been a professor at the University
of Stuttgart since 1986.
After studying physics (1967-1971) at the Universities of Tübingen and Bonn, Messerschmid
started his academic career in 1972 at CERN in Geneva. From 1975-1976 he worked at the Brookhaven
National Laboratory in New York and at the University of Freiburg, where he also did his doctorate
in 1976. In 1977 he worked at German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) in Hamburg. From 1978-1982
Messerschmid was employed as a scientific assistant at the Institute for Intelligence at the German
Research Laboratory for Air and Space (DFVLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen.
In 1983 Messerschmid changed to DFVLR in Cologne-Porz as a science astronaut. On 30th October
1985 he set off together with Reinhard Furrer and the Dutch ESA astronaut Wubbo Ockels as well as
five American astronauts on the Space-Shuttle Challenger for the seven-day flight on the
D1-Spacelab Mission (Flight STS-61-A).
In November 1986 Messerschmid was appointed full professor and director of the Institute of
Space Systems (IRS) at the University of Stuttgart. He managed the Institute until 1999 and took
over the functions of Vice-Dean and Dean in the Faculty of Aerospace Technology. Messerschmid
experienced his university highlight in 1996 by being elected Vice-Rector for Research and
Technology as well as Chairman of the Senate Committee for Research. He exercised both offices
until 1998. After this he took over the technical management of Technologie-Transfer-Initiative
(TTI) GmbH, an institution to support founders of new businesses from the University of Stuttgart.
From 2000 until 2004, given leave by the University, Ernst Messerschmid managed the European
Astronaut Centre of ESA in Cologne-Porz. In January 2005 he returned to the Institute of Space
Systems at the University of Stuttgart, where he took over the Chair for Astronautics and Space
Stations.
Further information:
Dr. Hans-Herwig Geyer, University Communication, University of Stuttgart
Tel.: 0711/685-82555, Email: hans-herwig.geyer [at] hkom.uni-stuttgart.de