The 145-metre-long Tunnel 57 construction project, executed beneath the Berlin Wall, provided a daring escape route for 57 individuals fleeing East Berlin to the West. Reinhard Furrer, then a student in Berlin, played a significant role in this operation before building a distinguished career as a physicist, university professor, and German astronaut.
Academic and Professional Background
Born in Wörgl in 1940, Furrer relocated to Kempten im Allgäu following World War II. He pursued physics at the University of Kiel before transferring to the Freie Universität Berlin, where he completed his diploma in 1969 and a doctorate in 1972. His academic path continued in 1974 as an assistant professor in Stuttgart, eventually leading to a full professorship in 1987.
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Furrer first sought selection as an astronaut for the Spacelab mission in 1977, reaching the final round of candidates. In 1982, he was officially chosen as one of two payload specialists for the German Spacelab mission. He flew on the STS-61-A mission, which launched on 30 October 1985, accompanied by fellow payload specialists Ernst Messerschmid and Wubbo Ockels. During this mission, he monitored equipment while wearing a Sinn model 140 S wristwatch.
Aviation and Final Years
Beyond his professional duties, Furrer maintained a lifelong commitment to aviation. He secured his pilot license in 1974 and completed several long-distance flights, including a 1979 expedition over the inland ice of Greenland and a solo trip from Germany to Quito, Ecuador in 1981. In 1995, his life ended abruptly following a plane crash at the Johannisthal Air Field in Berlin. He was a passenger in a historic Bf 108 aircraft piloted by Gerd Kahdemann when the machine crashed shortly after 6:00 p.m. following a low-altitude roll.
Affiliations and Legacy
Furrer held deep connections to organizations focused on German division, notably as a member of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft 13 August e.V. Association, which supported the Checkpoint Charlie Museum. He maintained a close friendship with Rainer Hildebrandt and used various aliases in his work, including Kurt Jacob, Jens, and Heino. Following his death, he was buried at the Kempten Lutheran cemetery, and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum established a permanent exhibition in his honor.
Fast facts
- Born: 1940, Wörgl
- Died: 1995, Berlin
- Education: Freie Universität Berlin
- Key mission: STS-61-A (D1)
- Launch date: 30 October 1985
- Pilot license: 1974
- Burial site: Kempten Lutheran cemetery
Questions readers ask
What mission did Reinhard Furrer participate in?
He served as a payload specialist on the STS-61-A (D1) mission, which launched on 30 October 1985.
How did Reinhard Furrer die?
He died in 1995 in a plane crash at the Johannisthal Air Field in Berlin while flying as a passenger in a historic Bf 108 aircraft.
Achievements
- Educated at Freie Universität Berlin
- Worked as astronaut, physicist and aircraft pilot
