The first German space lab mission, D1, began on the 30th of October 1985. It lasted seven days and was the first mission where we had our own German experiments,

for which we were solely responsible. That meant we could carry out data transmission to Oberpfaffenhofen and also influence parts of the operation along with NASA.

I am standing here in the space lab module that went up into space with us, here in one half and on the other side the other half. You have to imagine a tube that's eight and a half meters long with a diameter of four and a half meters chock full of these instruments. A small narrow tunnel linked it to the space shuttle.

And here in the space lab we had the same sort of typical arrangement that in part can still be found on the International Space Station today, double cabinets that are called double racks.

We were the subjects of the experiments. About one third of the experiments were dedicated to studying human physiology. For example, measurements of blood displacement and the influence of weightlessness on cellular fluid. We also measured bone density and investigated the organs of balance for similar purposes.

Here a sled ran lengthwise that we used to accelerate or rotate ourselves in order to see how our sense of orientation would react to the absence of gravity within the body.

A typical example of the cooperation between the European Space Agency and the German Center for Air and Space Research, which back then was known as DFVLR, was the glove box. Inside it we could work with toxic substances or with fluids that we wouldn't have wanted

to distribute here evenly. Here's the camera that was used now and again to observe us. It was very important for showing the results of our experiments on plant growth, for example.

We used it to transmit results directly to the actual scientists on the ground. They could then decide whether to continue the experiment or place another one in the sequence. And sometimes it was very important for repairs as well.

They were unexpected, of course, but still you had to react quickly. I could remember very well, I once had a pipe that was incorrectly flange mounted. So in the middle of it all, I had to saw it in two and glue it together again. At the time I cheekily asked, should I really saw it through?

I can only do it once. In a weightless environment, down is where your own legs are positioned. In this case here. Nevertheless, in a gravity-free environment, you have the opportunity to use all three

dimensions and you often have to turn yourself over in order to use, for example, the storage drawers on the ceiling. It's the ceiling here, but naturally it could just as well be the floor. If you look at a cross-section of the station, to help us maintain a sense of orientation,

it narrowed towards the top and that corresponded to the way the instruments were labeled.

The results of this mission were very well-documented. They led in part to the updating of textbooks and to new production technologies. We know, for example, very much more about what happens in weightless conditions to biological substances and what happens then to humans can be explained.

From one week of experimenting on Spacelab during the D1 mission to 52 weeks on Columbus on board the International Space Station. Without the broad experience of Spacelab, these experiments would not have been as qualitatively useful or as fascinating to carry out.

This was the DLR webcast.