He was smart, stubborn, impatient and the first Dutchman in space: Wubbo studied physics and mathematics in Groningen. In 1978, he was selected as one of the first three ESA astronauts. In October 1985, he flew to space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. His mission: to conduct seventy different scientific experiments while floating in the European space laboratory Spacelab. While doing so, he wore woolly socks and shorts. Once Wubbo had seen our planet from space, he wanted to protect ‘spaceship earth’. That is why he became a professor of sustainability at Delft University of Technology. Did you know this about Wubbo? Besides being an astronaut, physicist, and pilot, Wubbo was also an inventor. He invented the Superbus and the ladder mill, which can generate wind energy high in the sky. From 1987 to 1989, he presented the TV programme Kijk-TV on science and technology. Wubbo escaped death several times. He survived a plane crash and a heart attack. And maybe even a space accident. Because four months after his flight, the space shuttle Challenger exploded during launch. Together with students, Wubbo developed the solar car Nuna, which won the Australian World Solar Challenge several times. He did not like NASA's sleeping bag. So, he designed his own. This special space sleeping bag is on display at Space Expo in Noordwijk. With his large moustache, he was always easy to spot in photos. Together with his wife Joos, he developed the climate-neutral boat Ecolution, on which they lived together. Wubbo is still floating around, as he now has an asteroid named after him: 9496 Ockels. It orbits between Mars and Jupiter.