Human Spaceflight
Life Support Systems Engineer

In 2004 Sandra got her first masters (Diplomingenieur) in Aeronautical and Aerospace engineering from the University of Stuttgart, Germany. Her first thesis was undertaken at the University of Pisa, Italy, on heat-transfer studies in microgravity. For her final thesis was on the design of a small lunar satellite at the Institute of Space Systems, Stuttgart. Throughout her graduate she was a teaching and research assistant respectively in the fields of space station design with focus on life support systems and human factors as well as on small satellites.

She was a student of the Summer Session Program (SSP) of the International Space University (ISU) in Adelaide, Australia, in 2004, a teaching associate in the department of life sciences during SSP05 in Vancouver, Canada, and returned as a student for the Master of Space Sciences in 2005-2006. In SSP06 she was an academic assistant and stayed at ISU to prepare the academic program and coordinating it during SSP07 in Beijing, China.

During her education she did several months of internships at the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) in Friedrichshafen, Germany, in 1999-2000, where she worked on noise, vibration and fire suppression tests for the ventilation system for the Columbus Module for the ISS. Additionally she did several months of internship in 2006 at OHB System in Bremen, Germany, where she studied biological hydrogen generation and alternative energy concepts for spaceflight.

Besides her studies she participated in ESA’s 29th Parabolic Flight Campaign in 2000, in ESA´s SUCCESS student contest in 1999, attended the ESA/ASA Summer School in 2003 and was an active member of the EUROAVIA Stuttgart during her undergraduate studies.