Research in space

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The German Spacelab Missions D1 and D2 in 1985 and 1993, respectively, clearly documented that Germany dedicated much of its "high-tech enthusiasm" into a quasi individually fostered scientific utilization of space, even though in close collaboration with international science. The two missions not only spanned the high-time of German involvement in low-gravity research but also indicated a broadening of interests into other space related fields of science and engineering. For example, telescience and robotics (both pursued disciplines on D2) alluded to future unmanned efforts of space faring, and earth observation points towards the meanwhile proverbial "mission to planet Earth." But the importance of physiologically investigated humans in a zero-gravity-orbit, nevertheless, remained an open challenge because it most certainly yielded many medically useful insights to be transferred into terrestrial medical practice.