Heike John

Heike Walpot ( born June 19, 1960 as Heike John in Dusseldorf, North Rhine -Westphalia ) is a German transport pilot and doctor, who was known as a competitive swimmer and spaceman contender.

Life

Youth

Growing up is Heike Walpot in Aachen, the daughter of sports teachers and professor emeritus of the former College of Education Rhineland, Department Aachen, Hans -Georg John (* 1929). After four years of primary school, she moved onto St. Leonhard Gymnasium. During this time, she began competitive sports and soon became a successful swimmer. Just two years after the start of training, it was in 1974 member of the German national swimming team (until 1981 ), finished in the following year at the European Youth Championships front seats and was on 100 - and 200 - meter backstroke German Vice-Champion. In 1976 she took part in the Olympic Games in Montreal, but did not reach the finals. At the European Championships in Jönköping, Sweden, she won in 1977 with the 4 x 100-meter medley relay bronze medal, took over 100 - meter backstroke 7th place and was about 100 - meter backstroke EM- eighth. In 1978 she was undercutting the first West German swimmer over 400 - meter individual medley, the 5 -minute mark and remained above 200 - meter backstroke for the first time under 2:20 minutes. Overall, she took part in her career at over 50 international competitions, turned 13 on German records, was eight times German Champion and nine- time runner-up.

Training

After graduation Walpot studied from 1980 at the Rheinisch -Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) medicine. Your Physikum they successfully passed after four semesters and his PhD in 1986 for " Dr. med " She specialized in anesthesiology and intensive care medicine and entered the beginning of 1987 a position as assistant physician in the Department of Anesthesiology, Hospital of the RWTH. She looked for opportunities for better filtration of blood products, or for new methods to reduce contamination of infusion solutions. For doctors and nurses, they even produced an educational film.

Application

In August 1986, the then German Research and Testing Institute for Aerospace ( DFVLR ) - predecessor of today's German Centre for Aerospace - commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Research in all major newspapers by mission scientists for the second German Spacelab flight (D -2) sought. It called for a university degree in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, or engineering, as well as a multi-year research activity. In addition, was a doctoral degree in the above areas of advantage. A good mental and physical general condition as well as excellent English skills associated with an age limit of 35 years was assumed.

It was Heike's then husband, a native of Belgium ( and now working for ZDF ) Luc Walpot, who encouraged her to apply. He had discovered the ad and submitted it to his wife.

On the call to 1799 national prospects, of which only 40 percent met the required criteria reported. 312 candidates were shortlisted. After the first medical survey by hereditary and allergic disease or visual defect had to give up another 76. These 236 applicants were subjected to a wide variety of knowledge and psychological tests. Only 9.7 percent (23 ) were left. The following health tests ( balance, circulation ) could fail for another ten candidates. In the end, 13 people (9 men and 4 women) had enforced. A panel of judges, who belonged to the three astronauts Old Merbold, Furrer and knife Schmid, finally seventh of the five candidates.

The then Minister of Research Riesenhuber presented the five finalists before the public in August 1987. Besides Walpot ( age 27 the youngest in the team) reinforced the teacher and meteorologist Renate Brummer and the physicist Gerhard Thiele, Hans Schlegel and Ulrich Walter, the German astronaut corps.

Training

The five spacecraft contenders began in March 1988 at the headquarters of DFVLR in Cologne with the actual astronaut training (first " taster" there was previously, so the group in late 1987 undertook in the U.S. their first parabolic flights ). In 1990, with the exception of Walpot all as a payload specialist for the second German Spacelab flight ( D-2) on the short list. Since then, the four Germans trained alternately in Cologne and in Huntsville at the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

After 1992, the final choice for participation in STS -55 had fallen to Schlegel and Walter to Walpot decided to leave the German astronaut team again. During D -2 flight, she worked at the DLR center in Oberpfaffenhofen as Association spokeswoman. Then they built the international environmental project GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment ) with on. In summer 1996, she joined as a pilot for Lufthansa and contributed as co-pilot Boeing 737 in scheduled air transport. She now flies as a co-pilot and Senior First Officer Boeing 747

Heike Walpot is married in second marriage with the astronaut Hans Wilhelm Schlegel, has three children and a daughter from his first marriage with him.