Saab’s Very Own Rocket Man: Marcus Wandt Returns from the International Space Station with New Insights
In a momentous celebration of human innovation and exploration, Marcus Wandt, chief test pilot at Saab and project astronaut with the European Space Agency, has safely returned home after completing his mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Marcus joined the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) as a mission specialist and project astronaut. During his two weeks on the ISS, Marcus performed more than 20 scientific experiments and studies to further our understanding of life and technological advancements in space.
Space technological innovation and discoveries have the potential to play a significant role in the future of communication, security, climatology, and even medicine.
His areas of focus included:
- Bone loss: How does bone density change in space, and how quickly will bones recover to pre-flight density back on Earth?
- Orbital architecture: How living in space impacts stress and cognitive levels, such as memory, reaction time, attention, and organization.
- Memo BC: How microgravity and weightlessness trigger changes in cellular structures and gene expression.
- Sleep in Orbit: How brain activity changes between sleep on Earth and sleep in space.
- Thor-Davis: How thunderstorms and lighting affect upper-atmosphere dynamics, such as atmospheric greenhouse gas circulation.
“The International Space Station has brought people together to live and work in space continuously for more than two decades. It was an honor to work in such an incredible piece of spacecraft engineering, with such an amazing crew. I hope my work will form a small piece of the scientific foundation from which humankind can reach further,” said Marcus.
Marcus and his crew safely reentered Earth’s atmosphere on February 9th and “splashed” down off the coast of Florida. He has returned to his home soil in Sweden, where he will continue to work on the studies he conducted aboard the ISS.
“It’s special to be able to celebrate Marcus’s accomplishments as both a wife and a colleague. He’s an inspirational person - I developed my passion for aircraft engineering in part because of Marcus and his work as a fighter pilot. I’m so proud of him for following his dreams, and glad to have him home safe,” said Karina Wandt, Technical Manager at Saab.
Saab is thrilled for Marcus and his family, and for all the crew on the Ax-3 for their mission success and safe return home.