When German astronaut Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency (ESA) left Earth on his way to the “Cosmic Kiss” space mission, he had the goal of conducting experiments in human health and materials science. We can clearly see the traces of the destruction caused by Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
During his 177 days in orbit, he could see the effects of the rockets on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and the trail of smoke clouds over which cities were being bombed. Maurer returned to Earth in early May and recently spoke about his impressions from space regarding the war in Ukraine.
“The whole country disappeared at night at the beginning of the war,” he said in the morning program “Morgenmagazin”, broadcast on the German broadcaster ARD.
Clearly recognizable events
Maurer joined three other crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on November 11, 2021. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 – and Matthias remembers seeing it from above after the first battle in the cities. Kyiv and Mariupol.
“You could see the effects in the early days of the war. You could see the lightning at night in Kiev and the “rockets that hit it”.
According to the astronaut, the battle was “visible to the naked eye from space”. Sometimes, “events were clearly recognizable” when he could observe “huge clouds of smoke over cities like Mariupol.”
The port city of Mariupol was brutally attacked by Russian forces for months. The siege ended last week when nearly 2,500 Ukrainian fighters left a steel mill they were resisting.
“Why don’t we get together?”
In an environment of international disapproval of Russian attacks, the ISS made headlines after a controversial statement by the commander of the “Expedition 67” mission. On May 9, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev wished “success” to Russian military personnel in a statement on the occasion of the country’s Victory Day.
According to Maurer, seeing the conflict from a different perspective made him feel “much closer” to the war in Ukraine than he would have felt had he stayed in Germany.
“Our Earth is really just a small planet compared to the others,” he said. “War seen from above is a hundred times more illogical from the ground. Why don’t we humans unite?” she asked.
source: Noticias
