Nicola Winter

Pointing to the Stars

In November 2022, she was selected as a member of the ESA astronaut reserve… but this is just the apex of an already incredible career!

Born in 1985 in Germany, Nicola graduated from the Rainer-Maria-Rilke Gymnasium in Icking, Germany, in 2004. She then joined the German Air Force, studied Aerospace and Astrospace engineering at Purdue University, Indiana, USA.
As a pilot she has accumulated more than 2350 flying hours and holds commercial pilot, military pilot, helicopter and aerobatic licenses, is a certified flight instructor and trained in hang-gliding. 
But there’s more: Nicola completed a solo bicycle crossing of the alps in 2018 and climbed Mt. Kenya in Kenya, Africa, at 5199 Meters in 2009. She is part of the German Association of Skiing Instructors and a certified Open Water Diver. 

Image Credit: Nicola Winter

When did you decided you wanted to be an astronaut and what was the event or the person that made you think about being an astronaut? 

Ever since I was a kid, I loved Star Trek and its pioneering spirit – to go where no one has gone before. That’s exactly what I want to do. Then I became a fighter pilot at Sheppard AFB in Texas, USA. They have an alumni hall of fame there. Every day I walked by a bunch of Astronauts who had been on the exact same path, I was on. That was when I decided to go for it for real. 

When did you decided to turn your dream into a real goal?

Well, unfortunately, you can’t just decide to become an astronaut. You have to wait for a selection. My first chance appeared in 2017, with a private initiative in Germany looking for the first German female astronaut. Due to funds, that didn’t happen. My next shot came in 2021/2022 with ESA, where I decided very easily to of course, try again! 

 From our followers: which is your favorite movie?

Not a movie, but I love and very much recommend “For all Mankind”- best astronaut series in a long time! 

Which is the most dangerous event that occurred to you when piloting?

Very, very nearly colliding with another aircraft. But it is not uncommon, that you need some luck to survive a career as a fighter pilot. 

Which was the hardest challenge that you faced in your life?

Pilot training and the accompanying survival trainings are tough. You do need some grit and tolerance for discomfort to make it. The truly hardest challenges in life though, are always the personal ones. Sickness, Loss and on a more personal note: having a young kid at home while trying to work full time. Trying to be a good, present parent and excellent in my job is by far the hardest and longest challenge yet! 

Which is the biggest lesson you learned so  far? Maybe professionally as a pilot, or related to any other activity.

You just have to start. Don’t think it, don’t worry it. Just start it! And then you will be able to figure out the rest on the way one step at a time. Remember: maybe you won’t finish everything you started – but 100% of the projects that you didn’t start, failed. 

Which object would you like to fly with you in Space and why?

Coffee. It’s my one true addiction and I love to have coffee whenever I can. 

If you could only choose one, would you rather fly tomorrow to the ISS or wait some time and be the first woman on the Moon?

I’d wait for a long time for my opportunity to go to the moon. If the goal is worth it, why not have patience? Doesn’t have to be as the first anything though. My own experience and contribution is not influenced by the fact that someone else my gender or nationality has done it before. That only influences other people’s opinions of my experience and I wholeheartedly do not care one bit about that. 

Image Credit: Nicola Winter

You practice and are very well qualified in more than one activity, I mean, you are not ‘only’ a great pilot; apart from this one, is there any other activity that turned out to be very useful during your astronaut selection? And which one is giving you an extra ‘push’ also in other fields?

The more active and versatile the experience, pretty much the better. If you are looking for the extra ‘push’, I’d say the most important one is people skills. Be an amazing team member, know how to follow and figure out when and how to lead. After that, figure out how to never crumble under pressure and you are pretty much set (which is a matter of practice, practice, practice). I am not perfect in either but apparently good enough. 

The training and preparation for space missions can be physically and mentally demanding. How do you personally manage stress and maintain focus during intense training or challenging situations?

The trick is to be really self-aware and pace myself. Quite often, I try to cheat myself one way or the other: push myself when it’s too much or give my self a lazy day, when I don’t need it. But the truth is, when you look deep down, you know what you need to be doing and then I just follow that relentlessly. 

Image Credit: Nicola Winter

How do you see the future of space exploration?

We are on the brink of space exploration exploding and if we are lucky, we will be around to see it. That’s amazing!

What is your message to people who are passionate about Space?

Space is hard and Space is worth it. Even if you get to desperate because you really wanna go but currently cant… just remember that we are all in space, all the time. 

Image Credit: Nicola Winter