song: “Purple Rain” by Prince. I took it with me to Space, it was and still is my favorite song and a strong human expression.”
tattoo: “I got the Happy Energy logo tattooed on my arm, it was a present for my 65th birthday.”
food: “I like fish, especially prepared the way they do it in the South of Italy. I also like risotto.”
fashion: “I think fashion is the way to get young people excited to make changes in their lives. that’s the reason Happy Energy works together with other companies to create nice clothing, maybe even from recycled and/or organic fabrics.”
documentary: “’The Age of Stupid’ by Franny Armstrong.”
book: “I am dyslectic so I don’t like to read that much. However, my daughter wrote a book about my life called: “the Seven lives of Wubbo Ockels” (7 levens van Wubbo Ockels) about all the really unbelievable, life- threatening situations I have been in in my life. Including the issue with the Challenger.”
inspired by “W. Herman Sheer, a german politician that promoted sustainability. Fritz Butcher, a biochemist who was part of the Club of Rome.”
quotes: “Perspective beyond today’s problems gives you the power to solve them.” and I also like the one that John F. Kennedy said: “We choose to go to the Moon [We choose to do these things] “not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
Amsterdam, May 21st 2011
See also:
Interview Wubbo Ockels by Lonneke Engel, May 21st 2011
OYL Circle of Five by Wubbo Ockels May 21st 2011
Wubbo Ockels: Goodbye with a smile May 18th 2014
Text by Lonneke Engel. Photos by Alique. Copyright Organice Your Life®
Hello Lonneke,
My sincere condolences for the death of your friend the professor and astronaut Wubbo Ockels, I really measure your sadness, unfortunately even the best are not eternal.
I can guess in reading all your articles about him (except in Dutch because I don’t understand a word !!) that your friendship with Wubbo Ockels was very great. I think you were very lucky to have a friend like him.
Wubbo Ockels was 68 years old, this man, so smart, so brilliant, so inspiring…. had kept a youthful spirit, I loved his way of life, his mentality and his vision of the future (especially regarding the preservation of our beautiful planet), Wubbo Ockels was surely ahead of its time.
We really lost a great great man !
(If you’re fed up of my comments Lonneke, let me know, I really don’t want to harm your website !!).
Once again, all my condolences Lonneke.
HI Christophe! You can always leave comments in our articles, we read them all! Thank you for your condolences, Wubbo Ockels was a special man, and I hope we can keep his green ideas alive! greets Lonneke