Space
Wubbo Ockels
First Dutch astronaut and professor of sustainable engineering
Born 1946 · Died 2014
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Jensbn~commonswiki assumed (based on copyri · Public domain
Wubbo Ockels flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1985 as the first Dutch citizen in space, and spent the rest of his career on sustainable technology. His students built solar-powered racing cars and airborne wind energy systems.
Key achievements
- First Dutch citizen in space, Spacelab D1, 1985
- Professor of sustainable engineering at Delft from 2003
- Invented the Superbus and laddermill wind energy concepts
Universities
Delft
Professor of aerospace sustainable engineering and technology from 2003 until his death.
Facts
- Delft's solar car teams, which he helped inspire, have won the World Solar Challenge across Australia many times.
- He worked on kite-based wind power, using high-altitude kites to generate electricity without a tower.
- He recorded a public message about the environment shortly before his death from kidney cancer.
Photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.