The spaceflight show of the DLR in Berlin: "Hello Berlin! I hear you loud and clear!"

© TU Berlin/PR/Felix Noack

© TU Berlin/PR/Felix Noack

© TU Berlin/PR/Felix Noack

© TU Berlin/PR/Felix Noack

- On September 4, 2018, the large spaceflight show of the DLR took place at TU Berlin.
- The highlight was the 20-minute live call with the German ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst on the ISS.
- During this live broadcast, Alexander Gerst sealed the time capsule, a project of the DLR, into which 8,000 children and young people had submitted wishes for the future.
- The capsule will only be opened again in 50 years.

Excited silence prevails among the 1,000 students. And then "Astro_Alex" from aboard the International Space Station ISS reports: "Hello Berlin! I hear you loud and clear!" Cheers in the hall! Weightlessly floating, Alexander Gerst waves from the large screen. The live connection to the German ESA astronaut was the highlight of the spaceflight show of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which was performed on September 4, 2018, at the Audimax of TU Berlin. But the rest of the stage program also included numerous highlights: from equally exciting and educational participatory experiments on stage and in the hall to a performance by Peter Schilling with his worldwide hit "Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)".

"The spaceflight show can already be called a success story shortly after its start. All events are fully booked, as are the rehearsals. The concept shows that spaceflight fascinates," emphasizes Prof. Pascale Ehrenfreund, Chairwoman of the DLR. "Inspiring our young generation for science and technology is a task that the DLR is committed to, and for its implementation, the 'Mission horizons' of Alexander Gerst is particularly suitable."

The stage program lasted 90 minutes until the live call to space – exactly as long as the ISS takes to orbit the entire Earth. The show was opened by a small robot that invited the actual moderators onto the stage: Cem Avsar from TU Berlin as well as Tobias Bohnhardt and Saskia Felgenhauer from the DLR_School_Lab Berlin – one of 13 student laboratories of the DLR. They took the students on a fascinating "journey of thought into space." Impressive films and photos of and with Alexander Gerst alternated again and again with age-appropriate experiments that, in the style of a science show, made even complex physical effects understandable. Sometimes chocolate lentils floated weightlessly inside a fall capsule, which was shown in slow motion on the large screen, and sometimes a glowing "air rocket" flew across the stage with a loud bang – and the audience in the hall was also able to participate at many points. It was almost magical during the "trip" across the solar system: large glowing spheres symbolized the eight planets and were passed through the rows of chairs by the children. The lesson on the recoil principle, on the other hand, was rather rapid, as 1,000 balloons hissed through the room at the same time.

Then ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer transitioned from the stage to the live call with his colleague on the ISS. "Astro_Alex" greeted back in the best mood from space. In his hands, he held a very extraordinary object: the DLR's time capsule, which has accompanied him on his long journey through space. It contains, among other things, a special data carrier that includes the wishes of 8,000 children and young people for the future – in a way, a greeting message from today's young generation to the world of tomorrow. Because only in 50 years will the capsule, which will be stored in the House of History in Bonn after returning, be opened again. Gerst sealed the time capsule ceremoniously and then answered the questions of many children and young people who came onto the stage. Among them was a four-year-old boy who became a social media star on Gerst's launch day: a photo showed him, captivated in an astronaut costume, watching the launch of "Mission horizons" – the DLR then spontaneously invited the little "Gerst fan" to participate in the live broadcast. Among the many young questioners, there was also a very remarkable premiere: a student who, due to her physical limitations, cannot speak, asked her question via speech computer, which she operated with her toes while sitting in a wheelchair. The 17-year-old had completed an internship at the DLR Institute for Planetary Research and had also contributed to the time capsule project.

The program was complemented by music acts related to spaceflight. Peter Schilling presented his worldwide hit "Major Tom (Völlig losgelöst)", which is also heard as the soundtrack in the DLR trailer for Gerst's mission. Before many of his concerts, he conducts workshops on the topics of music and spaceflight to interest young people in the subject. And the members of the Berlin newcomer band Yuri & Neil are also avid spaceflight fans, with their band name being a nod to Juri Gagarin and Neil Armstrong, emphasizing the international, unifying aspect of space exploration.

The spaceflight show is an initiative of the DLR. It aims to use the ISS mission of ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst to inspire children and young people for research and technology as well as for scientific subjects. It will be performed at a total of 20 locations in Germany – partly at schools, often in large event halls. Over 20,000 students will see the show in total. It is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The initiative Think ING. also supports the campaign. The performance of the spaceflight show in Berlin was a joint event of the DLR and TU Berlin in collaboration with the European Space Agency ESA. In addition, the DLR youth promotion conducts numerous other activities on the occasion of Alexander Gerst's "Mission horizons": teacher workshops, special web pages, teaching materials, and school competitions.