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october 18, 2018 - Porsche

A pit stop in space

A thump. A Soyuz capsule collides with the International Space Station (ISS) when trying to dock. Mission failed. “Wow,” exclaims #timobernhard, staring at the joystick in his hand, “this is complicated”. It’s game over. Luckily, the driver from Saarland has only crashed during a simulation; both the real capsule and the ISS remain unscathed. “Compared with driving a car, you have to be more careful and more alert when flying a spacecraft,” admits the two-time Le Mans champion, who is well-versed in using simulators and can operate the steering wheel of his #porsche 919, with its 24 buttons and six paddles in his sleep. This is a man who can instinctively navigate his way across the track at over 300 km/h – but who fails to park a Soyuz properly in space when advancing at a snail's pace of merely 15 centimetres per second. There's no shame in that though. “You need 1000 attempts before you master the process,” explains #matthiasmaurer, who has become an expert in it. He will be the second German astronaut, after Alexander Gerst, to fly to the ISS, due to occur between 2020 and 2022.

In 2017, Bernhard invited his fellow compatriot from Saarland to the Nürburgring

Part two of the racing-driver-meets-space-pilot-saga takes place in Cologne at the European Astronaut Centre, part of the European Space Agency (ESA). In the summer of 2017, #timobernhard invites his fellow compatriot from Saarland to the Nürburgring, where the #porsche factory driver introduces his visitor to his world. He explains how to steer the 919 ever faster round a bend, shows him how to set the brake balance and explains why driving in the rain at night requires courage. He talks of his love for speed-racing, of his 368 km/h feat in Le Mans, of his unbelievable four-second acceleration from 0 to 200, and of forces on the body of up to five g – whereby your body feels five times heavier than usual.

In reply, Maurer states that he has to endure g-forces of up to 8, as the rocket accelerates to 28,000 km/h in just nine minutes – although apparently “you can hardly feel it”. This means that six hours later, the crew of three dock onto the ISS, 400 kilometres above Earth. Two men reaching for their limits: it’s easy to see where they share common ground. In the summer of 2018, Bernhard visits the ESA and enters into the astronaut's orbit.

 

 

 

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