Ernst Messerschmid


Birthplace and date:

Born in Reutlingen, West Germany, 21 May 1945

Marital Status:

Married

Profession:

Director, European Astronaut Center

Education:

1965 Matriculation examination at Technisches Gymnasium in Stuttgart.
1965-1967 Military service.
1967-1972 Studied Physics at the Universities of Tuebingen and Bonn, received fellowships from "Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes" and CERN (Geneva).
1972 Diploma thesis on "Stacking Efficiency of Protons into CERN Intersecting Storage Rings".
1976 Ph.D. thesis at University of Freiburg im Breisgau on "Longitudinal Instabilities of Relativistic Proton Beams in Synchrotrons".

Experience:

1970-1975 Visiting Scientist and Fellow at CERN, experimental and theoretical work on proton beams in accelerators and plasmas.
1975-1976 Lecturer and Research Associate at Freiburg University and Brookhaven National Laboratory (New York); invention of adiabatic phase displacement acceleration in proton accelerators.
1977 Design of beam optics for PETRA electron storage rings at DESY (Hamburg).
1978-1982 DFVLR, Institute of Communication Technology at Oberpfaffenhofen. Research in the area of space-borne communications (search and rescue satellite system, satellite navigation); CCIR delegate.
Member of IAF study group on "Space Safety and Rescue". Teaching experience in satellite communication and navigation systems (academic training program).
Lectures on control theory at University of Stuttgart/Berufsakademie.
October 30 - Nov. 6, 1985 Spacelab Mission D-1, flight STS-61A, on Challenger.
Nov. 3, 1986 - present Professor and Director of the Institute for Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart, Research on electric propulsion systems, micro-gravity technology and space station architecture.
Member of ESA's HERMES Advisory Committee.

Publications:

Approx. 50, 18 of which have appeared in international publications and conference proceedings, co-author of 2 books.

Awards:

1976 Award of "Wiss. Gesellschaft in Freiburg im Breisgau".
1985 Federal Cross of Merit First Class, Medal of Merit of Baden-Wuerttemberg.


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