Astronaut Alexander Gerst is always up for an adventure. He’s searched for meteorites at the South Pole, survived a week underground in Italian caves, and completed two long missions to space. During those missions, his schedule was packed with operational tasks. He performed a spacewalk with NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and docked three different cargo ships: ATV, Dragon, and Cygnus. With a background as a geophysicist and a PhD focused on the Erebus volcano in Antarctica, Alexander’s curiosity extends beyond Earth. He is now actively involved in preparing for future crewed missions to the moon. Did you know this about Alexander? - Even during high school, he volunteered with the scouts and the fire brigade. - His PhD research was published in the famous journal Science and led to better prediction of volcanic eruptions. - In 2019, he participated in ESA's CAVES mission. This involves astronauts working together in caves underground, where they mimic a space mission. - Alexander was the second European commander of the International Space Station ISS after Frank De Winne. And, at 42 years old at the time, also the youngest. - He brought a robot called CIMON into space. That uses artificial intelligence and helps astronauts work in the Columbus space lab. - From space, Alexander rocked out to a concert by German band Kraftwerk in 2018. He played synthesiser during the song ‘Spacelab’. - When he is not in space, you can find Alexander in action. His hobbies? Mountain hiking, diving, climbing, skydiving and cycling.