Maurer is a 46-year-old material science engineer, who just missed out on becoming an astronaut in the class of 2009. Since than, Maurer has been working at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne. But he's had to be patient. And even now as Germany's second astronaut, he may have to wait another five years before he flies. Zulfikar Abbany spoke to him at the ESA-Center in Darmstadt.