What holds the world together – a view from space

ETH professor Thomas Zurbuchen (former scientific director of NASA) and astronaut Thomas Pesquet in conversation followed by a Q&A session (in English)

3. September, 2023, 16:00 - 17:00
Zentrum | Tickets required
Special

What thoughts go through an astronaut’s mind when he sees the Earth from the outside for the first time? What does he feel at that moment? And what did the spectacular images of distant galaxies trigger in the “father” of the James Webb telescope?

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet spent more than a year of his life on the International Space Station (ISS) during two space missions. In his former position as scientific director of NASA, ETH professor Thomas Zurbuchen was not only responsible for around 130 space missions, but also for the realisation of the James Webb Telescope, which delivers spectacular images from space.

From Thomas Pesquet and Thomas Zurbuchen you will learn how to become an astronaut, what life in space feels like – but also how views from and into space can change perception and life on Earth. The two speakers will also tell you what it takes to realise projects in space and when they themselves expect to discover life beyond Earth.

The talk will be moderated by Anna Maltsev, a member of the ETH Zurich’s University Communications team. Afterwards you will have the opportunity to ask questions.

After studying physics and mathematics, Thomas Zurbuchen received his doctorate from the University of Bern in 1996. After moving to the University of Michigan, he was appointed full professor of space research and space technology there in 2008. He is known for driving innovation and linking research with business. During his time at the University of Michigan, he founded the Center for Entrepreneurship. In 2016, he became Science Director at the space agency NASA and remained in this position until the end of 2022 - longer than anyone before him. One of his greatest successes in this position is the James Webb Telescope. Since August, he has been a professor at ETH Zurich and Director of ETH Zurich Space.
Thomas Pesquet studied space systems and space vehicle mechanics at the École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace in Toulouse. He started his career as a Spacecraft Dynamics Engineer at GMV in Madrid and joined the French Space Research Centre CNES as a Research Engineer in 2002. Two years later, Pesquet trained as an airline pilot and has been flying for Air France since 2006. In May 2009, he was selected as an astronaut by the European Space Agency (ESA) and subsequently began basic astronaut training. In 2014, he was selected by ESA for a six-month mission to the International Space Station, which began in 2016. On 17 November, he launched on Soyuz MS-03 for his first space mission, from which he returned to Earth on 2 June 2017. His second flight with SpaceX Crew-2 launched on 23 April 2021, on which mission Pesquet took command of the ISS. He returned from this mission more than half a year later, on 9 November.