Ulf Merbold

Merbold genuinely fascinates me. Becoming the first West German in space and the first non-American to fly on a NASA spacecraft during the height of the Cold War made him a quiet symbol of crossing borders through science. Three spaceflights, two shuttle missions, and a stint aboard Mir totaling 49 days is a remarkable arc for a physicist who chose to test his ideas in orbit rather than only on paper. The wall of honors from multiple nations feels earned. To me he embodies curiosity backed by real nerve, exactly the kind of explorer worth remembering.

Name (English)

Ulf Merbold

Name (Japanese)

ウルフ・メルボルト

Reading

うるふ・めるぼると

Born

June 20, 1941 (age 85)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Gemini / Snake

Origin

Greiz, Thuringia, Germany

Occupation

astronaut / physicist / payload specialist

University

University of Stuttgart

Awards & achievements

• 1988 Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia
• 1984 Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
• 1983 Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg
• Order of Friendship
• Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"

Motto

Private

• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A6%E3%83%AB%E3%83%95%E3%83%BB%E3%83%A1%E3%83%AB%E3%83%9C%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88

Tags

• Thuringia
• astronaut
• physicist
• payload specialist

Last updated

2026-06-02

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.