Wubbo Ockels

Wubbo Johannes Ockels (28 March 1946 – 18 May 2014) was a Dutch physicist and astronaut with the European Space Agency. In 1985, he made history by becoming the first Dutch citizen to travel into space. He flew on the space shuttle STS-61-A as a payload specialist, sharing this exciting journey with other astronauts from different countries.

After his space mission, Ockels used his experience to teach others. He became a professor of aerospace engineering at Delft University of Technology, where he inspired many students with his knowledge and passion for space and technology. His work helped connect the wonders of space to education and future explorers.

Education and early life

Wubbo Ockels was born in Almelo, Netherlands, but grew up considering Groningen his hometown. He studied physics and mathematics and earned both his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Groningen in 1973 and 1978.

During those years, Ockels worked at the Nuclear Physics Accelerator Institute in Groningen. He studied how certain particles release energy and helped build tools to detect these particles. He also guided first-year physics students in their practical work.

ESA career

In 1978, Wubbo Ockels was chosen by the European Space Agency to train for a space mission. He and another astronaut began training with NASA in 1980 but Ockels later decided to focus on a different project called Spacelab.

Ockels finally flew in space in 1985 on a mission called STS-61A. This was a big mission with eight people from different countries, and many important science experiments were done. Ockels traveled a long way and spent many hours in space during this trip.

Scientific career

In 1992, Ockels became a part-time professor of aerospace engineering at Delft University of Technology, and in 2003, he became a full-time professor. He helped guide the Nuna projects and suggested a new way to create fast public transportation called the Superbus. A company named Connexxion helped start this idea.

Ockels also worked with students on a solar racer team called the Nuon Solar Team, which won a big race called the World Solar Challenge four times in a row. He started the Superbus project and helped create a company called "The Green Canals" to support green engineering ideas. In 2009, he talked about how we understand time based on how we see the effects of gravity.

Personal life

Wubbo Ockels was married and had two children and two grandchildren. His sister was politician Marjet Ockels.

In August 2005, Ockels had a serious health issue and was hospitalized but recovered well and returned to his work at the Delft University of Technology. In 2013, he learned he had a serious illness and passed away from related complications in 2014.

Honours

Wubbo Ockels received many awards for his achievements. He was made an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau in the Netherlands and received the Merit Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He also earned the NASA Public Service Award and the NASA Space Flight Medal. In the Netherlands, he was given the Generaal Snijdersfonds Gold Medal, which is the country's highest award for aviation.

In popular culture

On March 28, 2020, Google celebrated Wubbo Ockels' birthday with a special drawing called a Google Doodle.

In the television show For All Mankind, a character based on Ockels appears in a scene where they are on the Moon during a big storm of sunlight, and another character helps them.

The name "Wubbo Ockels Base" is used for a space habitat in the video game Terra Invicta.

Dutch rapper Donnie made a song named after Ockels in 2015, with music by Bas Bron. Also, a band called John Wayne Shot Me wrote a song titled "Wubbo Ockels" for their album. A Dutch band named Freaking Farmer Boys even wrote a tribute song called "Wubbo oh Wubbo," which they performed in concerts in 1986 and 1987.