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First Online: 30 July 2025

In Memory of Jochen Hinkelbein

: We are deeply saddened and still shocked by the sudden death of Professor Dr. Jochen Hinkelbein, who died in a tragic accident in March 2025. He was Full Professor of Emergency Medicine, and Chair and Director of the Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, at the Johannes Wesling Klinikum Minden, University Hospital Ruhr-University Bochum, Minden, and Director of the Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, and Pain Therapy at the Bad Oeynhausen Hospital and the Auguste Victoria Clinic, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany.

: Professor Hinkelbein was an outstanding and highly respected expert in emergency and aerospace medicine. Among the many positions he held in professional societies, he was a past Chairman of the ESAIC Subcommittee on Resuscitation, Emergency Medicine, and Trauma, and served as President of the German Society of Aerospace Medicine (DGLRM) and as President of the European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM) []. He was a Diplomate and Fellow of several associations such as the Aerospace Medical Association (FAsMA). Until his appointment in Minden in 2023, Jochen Hinkelbein was one of the most important senior physicians at the Department of Anesthesiology and Operative Intensive Care at the University Hospital of Cologne for more than a decade. During this time, he did not only establish the European Trauma Course (ETC), but also initiated a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) (28). As a result, the Cologne training laboratory was able to prepare all European astronauts for emergency scenarios on board the ISS. One of his favorites was working with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) on weightlessness research, with a focus on resuscitation techniques tested during parabolic flights.

: When discussing the content of this chapter as an outlook on emergency medicine in microgravity, he always emphasized that “resuscitation as we know today is almost impossible in microgravity“. We came to the conclusion that – although we both wanted to be “visionary“ about possible Mars and other space habits - we had to stick to the “reality“ and the available evidence. Nevertheless, he was convinced that ketamine’s proven efficacy and wide range of applications make it a really good candidate for medical care in (future) space exploration endeavors.

: Together with many others, we wish to honor a dedicated physician and teacher, and a kind and humble man, Jochen Hinkelbein.

: S. Himmelseher