Alexander Gerst upon his arrival in Cologne on 10 November 2014
Alexander Gerst upon his arrival in Cologne on 10 November 2014
The German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst touched down at Cologne-Bonn airport shortly before 19:00 CET, 14 hours after his landing in the steppe of Kazakhstan. Among those seen here welcoming the 38-year-old is Johann-Dietrich Wörner, Chairman of the DLR Executive Board (second from left), Cologne’s Mayor, Jürgen Roters (right), and Thomas Reiter, former astronaut and ESA’s Director of Human Spaceflight and Operations (fourth from right). Gerst is the first European astronaut to be flown directly to his home country after returning from space – without, as has otherwise been the case, initially travelling to the United States. Gerst is currently at DLR’s :envihab facility in Cologne undergoing the intensive series of medical examinations necessary for astronauts returning from space missions.
