Photo: Marcel Antonisse / Anefo / CC0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
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.
Overview
Ulf Dietrich Merbold (German: [ʊlf ˈdiːtrɪç ˈmɛrbɔlt]; born 20 June 1941) is a German physicist and astronaut who flew to space three times, becoming the first West German citizen in space and the first non-American to fly on a NASA spacecraft. Merbold flew on two Space Shuttle missions and on a Russian mission to the space station Mir, spending a total of 49 days in space.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- 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 84)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Gemini / Snake
- Origin
- Greiz, Thuringia, Germany
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- astronaut / physicist / payload specialist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- 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"
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Astronaut — see all → · Physicist — see all → · More people from Germany →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.