The future of space travel: ESA astronaut Reinhold Ewald opens new lecture series

Under the title "Space travel - Into space for Earth", German ESA astronaut Prof. Dr Reinhold Ewald takes the audience on a fascinating journey through time to the milestones of space travel. In his lecture, he provides unique insights into his personal experiences on the former Mir space station and into life and work on the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut takes a look at the future of space travel - in particular the planned moon missions. After the lecture, participants will have the opportunity to ask the astronaut questions and talk to him.

The event will be complemented by an exciting experiment from the DLR_School_Lab at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg: with the help of a drop tower, visitors will be able to experience the phenomenon of weightlessness at first hand and thus understand the step "from Earth to space" in a vivid way.

Space travel - into space for Earth
Date: Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Location: Central Lecture Hall Building, Audimax 2 at the BTU main campus, Konrad-Wachsmann-Allee 3, 03046 Cottbus

All interested parties are invited to the Central Lecture Hall Building, Audimax 2, on the Cottbus main campus of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU). Registration is not required. Admission is free.

The lecture is organised in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

About the astronaut

Born in Mönchengladbach in 1956, Reinhold Ewald studied Physics at the University of Cologne. In 1986, he obtained his doctorate in Physics with a thesis on radio astronomy and studied human medicine as a minor subject. He was appointed to the astronaut team in 1990. In 1997, he went into space as part of the second German-Russian mission MIR '97: Ewald was launched into space as a scientific cosmonaut on the Russian Soyuz TM 25 on 10 February 1997 and spent 18 days on the Russian Mir space station. Until March 2011, he was responsible for organising the operation of the European laboratory module at the Columbus ground control centre in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich. From the end of 2011 until April 2014, he worked on the staff of the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA) at the ESA headquarters in Paris, and from May 2014 he was back at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne.
Reinhold Ewald is currently working on manned spaceflight topics, in particular the communication of scientific results. On 1 September 2015, he was appointed professor at the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart, where he represents the chair of Astronautics and Space Stations.

Moderator: Maria Reulke, German Aerospace Centre (DLR), Head of Sites East
Experiment: Stefan Richter, DLR_School_Labs BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg

In the winter semester, the following topics will be explored from different perspectives:

Aerospace - Lusatian research above the clouds
with the following further dates:

• 5 November 2025
  Taking off into the future: New propulsion systems for the aviation of tomorrow
  Officer: Prof. Dr. Lars Enghardt, BTU, Chair of Electrified Aircraft Propulsion Systems
  19. November
  The BTU's space experiments: A (pictorial) journey into the past, present and future of the GeoFlow and AtmoFlow experiments
  Officer: Prof. Dr Christoph Egbers, BTU, Department of Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
• 3 December
  Mayday, Mayday: The climate impact of aviation is increasing
  Speaker: Anita Demuth, Deputy Head of PtX Lab Lausitz
  
  Democracy - past, present and prospects
• 28 January 2026
  Meltdown of democracy
  Officer: Dr Christoph Maximilian Abels,University of Potsdam, ERC project PRODEMINFO

About the Open BTU lecture series
From 15 October 2025 to 28 January 2026, the Open BTU public lecture series will offer insights into exciting fields of knowledge. With this educational format, which is open to all interested parties, the university's Centre for Continuing Education supports lifelong learning and funds the transfer of knowledge and ideas in the region by addressing socially relevant issues. The BTU co-operates with other universities and institutions.

With this educational format, which is open to all interested parties, the University's Centre for Continuing Education supports lifelong learning and funds the transfer of knowledge and ideas in the region by addressing socially relevant issues. The BTU co-operates with other universities and institutions. Each lecture will be followed by an opportunity for questions and dialogue with the speakers. Anyone interested is cordially invited to take part in the wide-ranging programme of events.