Alexander Gerst
Alexander Gerst is a German geophysicist, volcanologist, and ESA astronaut who completed two long-duration missions to the International . He became the first German of the ISS and one of Europe's most visible science communicators from orbit.
- Born
- May 3, 1976
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Künzelsau, Baden-Württemberg,West Germany
Flights
2
Spacewalks
1
EVA time
6 hours, 13 minutes
In space
362 days, 1 hour, 50 minutes
Bio
Gerst studied geophysics and Earth sciences in Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, earning a doctorate focused on volcanology and geophysical processes. ESA selected him in the 2009 astronaut group, bringing a field-science background into station research and public outreach.
His first mission, Blue Dot, launched on Soyuz TMA-13M in 2014 with Maxim Surayev and Reid Wiseman. Gerst supported ISS research, station maintenance, robotics work, and one with Wiseman.
He returned on Soyuz MS-09 in 2018 for the Horizons mission with Sergey Prokopyev and Serena Auñón-Chancellor. During that flight he commanded 57, becoming the first German and second ESA astronaut to command the station.