Wubbo Ockels Status: Deceased 3/28/1946 – 5/18/2014 Nationality: Dutch Type: Government Agency: European Space Agency Dr Wubbo Johannes Ockels (28 March 1946 – 18 May 2014) was a Dutch physicist and an astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA). In 1985 he participated in a flight on the Space Shuttle Challenger, STS-61-A, making him the first Dutch citizen in space.