INTERVIEW with TIBOR PACHER from HUNGARY

(c) OeWF (Katja Zanella-Kux)

Team & Task(s)

Tibor Pacher is from Hungary and shares his time between Northern Germany and Budapest. He is the founder and leader of the official Google Lunar X-Price team “Puli Space” and lead scientist for the PULI ROVER experiment at the MARS2013 mission in Morocco.

Space & MARS2013

How did you first get in touch with the topic of space / astronomy / analog research?

As a child, I once saw a beautiful night sky at Lake Balaton in Hungary after having been to an outdoor cinema one evening. I don’t know if it was this experience or Space Patrol Orion & Captain McLane that triggered my interest in space.

When did you first hear about the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF)

I read about the Rio Tinto expedition, which another Google Lunar X-Prize team (the White Label Space) participated in.

How did you learn about the “MARS2013” mission?

In early summer, a PULI colleague remarked: “We should participate!”.

Why did you choose to participate?

MARS2013 is a world-class project – and for the PULI team, it offers an outstanding opportunity to test our ideas under very challenging conditions.

What was your first impression when you got involved with the OeWF team?

A combination of professionalism and enthusiasm ☺ – simply great!

What is your personal goal in this mission?

I would like to see my team carry out its objectives with the same professionalism as the OeWF, and for our PULI rover to handle its tasks well.

Work, Life & Family

What I do for a living:

Although I hold a PhD in Physics, I make my living as a freelance consultant for accounting processes and their implementation with SAP software for (typically larger) companies.

A typical day in my life looks like this:

Wake up, check email (OK, usually coffee comes first), then sometimes a project for a client, and always the PULI ☺; that is, when the topics of the day aren’t focused on interstellar space travel or E.T.

This is how I spend my spare time:

I like to read, and sometimes I watch TV, but I prefer going to the movies – with my better half.

Family status:

Although I was previously divorced, I am now a very happy man with a fantastic wife by my side. I am also the proud father of two fantastic children.

How my friends would describe me:

A little bit crazy, but otherwise a fine lad!

Me, Myself & I

These things are precious to me:

Honesty, humility towards the important things in life, sincere love of family.

What drives me crazy:

Nasty lies and cowardly acts below the belt.

Something I would never do:

Intentionally hurting someone.

One important thing other people should know about me:

At age 16, I decided that I would bring the jump to hyperspace into practicality during my lifetime. I’ll still need to work on that for another few years…

To relax I absolutely need:

Quiet.

For this I would do almost anything:

My kids and my Queen.

Something that once changed my life:

My father’s death

What is the most unusual / challenging / exciting / scary / funny thing you ever experienced?

That’s a mean question – and the most challenging thing I have experienced…

Goal(s) & Motto

Something I would love to learn or to achieve:

Learn to play the organ and the theremin. (A theremin is a musical instrument invented at the beginning of the 20th century, and is played by means of electromagnetic fields.)

My Motto / A saying I can identify with:

“To achieve the possible, we must attempt the impossible again and again.” By Hermann Hesse, in September 1960, about three months before my birth.

Dieser Artikel ist auch verfügbar auf: German