Marco Sieber
Marco Sieber | |
|---|---|
Sieber at the announcement of the 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut Group in Paris | |
| Born | 1989 (age 35–36) |
| Alma mater | University of Bern |
| Occupation(s) | Doctor in surgery, anesthesia, urology, and emergency services |
| Space career | |
| ESA astronaut | |
Previous occupation |
|
| Rank | Sergeant |
Time in space | 0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes |
| Selection | 2022 ESA Group |
Marco Alain Sieber (born 1989) is a Swiss astronaut and medical doctor. Sieber graduated from Gymnasium Burgdorf in Switzerland in 2007 and later joined the Swiss Army's Special Forces Commando, achieving the rank of Sergeant. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree in 2015 from the University of Bern, specialising in robotic surgery, and received a specialist diploma in pre-hospital emergency and rescue medicine in 2021. He was selected as a member of the 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut Group.
Early life and education
Marco Sieber was born in Biel in 1989 and raised in Kirchberg, both located in the Swiss Canton of Bern.[1][2] Two interests that captivated him as a child were dinosaurs and space.[3] Sieber graduated from the Burgdorf Gymnasium in 2007.[4]
In 2009, he worked as a parachute instructor for pre-military courses and assisting with anatomy and physiology courses at the University of Bern. He earned his medical doctorate from the University of Bern in 2015, receiving top marks for his thesis on robot-assisted surgery, and later obtained the FMH-recognized certificate in emergency and rescue medicine from SGNOR in 2021.[5][6]
Career
Military career
In 2009, he began paratrooper training with the Swiss Army's Special Forces Command, achieving the rank of sergeant.[4]
Manual labour
Between the ages of 20 and 23, Sieber was employed by Mobitoil, where he drove to various locations and cleaned mobile toilets used at construction sites and festivals. He also worked assembling parts in a factory and assisted on construction sites.[7]
Medical career
Between 2015 and 2017, Sieber served as an assistant doctor in general surgery and intensive care in Interlaken before becoming the chief medical officer for KFOR, the NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo. From 2019 to 2021, he worked as an anesthesiology assistant in Interlaken and as an emergency doctor in helicopter rescue, eventually joining the urology team at the Biel Hospital Center in 2021.[3] Despite his current job as an astronaut at the ESA, he hopes to continue working occasionally in a hospital emergency ward to maintain and refine his medical skills.[7]
Astronaut career
Sieber was one of five career astronauts of the European Astronaut Corps chosen as part of the 2022 selection of astronauts.[4] He will have the opportunity to become Switzerland's second person in space, following astronaut Claude Nicollier.[8]
Sieber completed ESA's Basic Training curriculum at the European Astronaut Centre, and graduated alongside his classmates from "The Hoppers"[9] group on 22 April 2024.[10][11] Sieber has said that his first flight to the ISS will occur sometime between 2027 and 2030. Before embarking on a mission, he will complete additional mission-specific training blocks. Aside from that, there will likely be a quieter period without continuous training. During this time, he will take on other responsibilities at ESA.[7]
Personal life
A licensed private pilot and fluent in English and French alongside his native German and Swiss German, Sieber enjoys outdoor and adventure sports, including skydiving, paragliding, diving, ski touring, and kitesurfing.[4]
References
- ^ swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (3 May 2023). "Schweizer Marco Sieber startet Astronauten-Ausbildung". SWI swissinfo.ch (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ swissinfo.ch, S. W. I. (3 December 2024). "Swiss astronaut Marco Sieber completes NASA space station training". SWI swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ a b "How Marco Sieber became an astronaut". E2. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Marco Alain Sieber". www.esa.int. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Inselgruppe. "Marco Sieber: Von der robotergeschützten Chirurgie zum angehenden Astronauten" (in German). Archived from the original on 11 September 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ Surbek, Daniel, et al. "Conventional Laparoscopy versus Handheld Robotic Surgery." Conventional Laparoscopy versus Handheld Robotic Surgery, boristheses.unibe.ch/941/1/15sieber_ma.pdf, doi:10.7892/boris.84112. Accessed 27 December 2024.
- ^ a b c Weber, Anna (26 July 2024). "Swiss astronaut Marco Sieber on the uncomfortable side of a dream job". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ SwissCommunity. "Marco Sieber | The Swiss heading into space". www.swisscommunity.org. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ "The Hoppers". www.esa.int. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ "ESA's astronaut class of 2022 graduate". www.esa.int. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
- ^ "Belgian Raphaël Liégeois receives his ESA astronaut diploma". The Brussels Times. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2025.