Astronaut Maurer takes potato soup and potato soup with him to the International Space Station

Maurer said at a press conference that this “typical German meal” had been prepared for him. “I haven’t tried it yet, but I am sure it will be delicious. I will share it with my colleagues and everyone is looking forward to it.”

Maurer said he was “extremely excited” about the start scheduled for October 30. “Our main goal is research, we have between 300 and 350 trials in our luggage.” The Saarland astronaut will fly with NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari and Kayla Barron in Elon Musk’s SpaceX “Dragon” capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station. . On the International Space Station, Maurer will conduct several experiments over a period of about six months at an altitude of about 400 kilometers and will also complete an external mission. He will be the 12th German in space, the fourth German aboard the International Space Station and the first to fly there in a “dragon”.

Maurer said he is really looking forward to seeing the Earth from above and taking pictures. “Before I became an astronaut, I fulfilled my big dream and traveled around the world for a year. Now I would like to visit these places again from space and above all discover Africa, I haven’t seen much of it yet.” Even now he gets “goose bumps all over his body” just thinking about it.

It is currently scheduled to dock with the International Space Station on October 31, when Halloween is celebrated, especially in the USA. “We try to take care of our crew on the holidays and send them surprises or gifts, and we will do the same for Halloween,” International Space Station Administrator Joel Montalbano said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Astronaut Barron joked Thursday that what kind of costumes they will be wearing has yet to be determined. “But I’ve heard rumors that Mark Vande Hay, who is currently on the ISS, already has plans – so there might be a surprise when we open the hatch on Halloween.”