LAURA WINTERLING – Physicist, Helicopter Pilot and Flight Instructor, former Astronaut Instructor Laura holds a M.Sc. in Physics & an M.Sc. in Behavioural and Organizational Psychology

Laura is a licensed astronaut instructor on cargo handling, life support systems and emergency procedures on board the ISS. She had been working for almost 10 years for the European Space Agency. She wrote an on-console handbook for ISS Mission Control Center of Europe and trained 80 different international and European astronauts on ESAs spacecraft systems for ISS modules.

During her time at ESA Laura has worked in NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the Gagarin Cosmonaut Center in Moscow. She has spent numerous hours on console in various mission control centers including, ATV-CC Toulouse, ColCC Munich, and TsuP Moscow. Laura has had the opportunity to be part of 3 Soyuz launch campaigns in Kazakhstan and has undergone Zero-G (Parabolic Flight Experience) and Human Behaviour and Performance Training with ESA. Including a 10 day survival course inside a Sardinian cave.

She founded her company Space Time Concepts in 2016, taking on a new endeavour. Her company is the hub to the European Astronaut Training Center in Cologne, Germany, STC organises tours and events all around human spaceflight and offers interested people the possibility of experiencing a rocket launch from Kazakhstan or Cape Canaveral, as well as, experiencing weightlessness on Zero-G Flights.

Meanwhile Laura is a well-known speaker and shares her passion, insights and experiences from training astronauts and human spaceflight with audiences all around the worl. She consults various companies in leadership, team performance, communication and decision making processes.

Laura has ample experience as a motivational coach and speaker and has worked with several notable companies in the tech, banking and insurance field all around the globe, e.g. MG, Mastercard, SpaceX, Tesla, SAP, Siemens, Accenture, Deloitte, Generali and more.Laura has been invited to speak at conventions and shows on 3 continents in the last couple of years like WIRED, IMEX, ICCA.

Laura is a licensed rescue diver, skydiver and helicopter pilot and helicopter flight instructor, holding a private and a commercial helicopter license. She flies piston and turbine helicopters in various countries.

In her free-time she also works as a paramedic assistant, driving the ambulance trucks in her home town. She has visited 52 countries, enjoys camping and long-range mountain biking.

Laura has taken part in the current ESA Astronaut Selection and made it under the top 2% of 23.000 applicants and last 30 Germans.