Is there life in space? How did the universe come into being? For Salome Gruchola, such questions are more than fascinating – they drive her research. “So much is still a mystery!” says the space physicist.

The path to physics was not mapped out for her. “I didn’t notice that I was interested in physics for a long time because the subject is often not considered typical for women,” she recalls. It is precisely for this reason that she hopes that more women will be inspired by role models in the natural sciences. Today she works with a small space instrument that will one day be sent into space. Her goal: to survey nature and explain the world, to perhaps learn more about the universe one day.