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1,000 billion trees to save children's future! 

Going back to Yuri Gagarin, every Astronaut has planted a tree before their departure, as have the current crew members of ISS.  

The children of Plant-for-the-Planet plant trees all over the world. Their goal: 1,000 billion trees to save their future. These trees would absorb an additional 10 billion tons of CO2 every year. The children are officially responsible for the Global Tree Counter of the UNEP. Almost 13 billion trees have been registered there. We wonder whether the trees of current crew members have been registered, too? And we wonder whether they have found the Chocolate?

Plant-for-the-Planet was founded in 2007 by the then 9 year old Felix. After his school presentation about the Climate Crisis he said: “We children should plant millions of trees to save our future”. Plant-for-the-Planet has become a global children and youth Initiative of more than 100,000 children fighting for their future. The children spoke at the United Nations. With their campaign “Stop talking. Start planting” they have gained prominent supporters such as Harrison Ford, Gisele Buendchen and Prince Albert II of Monaco.

   We, the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation, support the Children. However the Foundation has got very limited financial resources, efficiency is one of our highest goals. Always searching for the biggest lever to spread the cause of the children, many incredible stories have unfolded over the last few years.

  Therefore, having the idea to send Plant-for-the-Planet's Change Chocolate to the ISS, where scientists do important experiments and take great pictures of mother earth, is actually not that unusual. However, that it worked out has been quite a surprise for us, too. Everything had to happen so fast. 

Now the crew have entered ATV-4. Soon they are going to find their sweet surprise. Thanks to everyone who made this possible. We all are still thrilled about it. There are two bars of chocolate for each crew member aboard ATV-4.

If the crew is reading this, we hope you like it and we would love to see a picture of you, the chocolate and mother earth :)

We tried to reach you with our twitter channel @pftp_int and many other space fans. We do hope our messages reached you so you get to know the incredible story behind the sweet surprise. 

Video takes 3 minutes.  

(Photo Credits: NASA and Plant-for-the-Planet)

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Chocolate and columbus pump in the same cargo! - But where? 

When will the Astronauts find the chocolate? We can give them another hint: We think the chocolate is in the same cargo bag as the Columbus pump! 

Take part and tweet to Luca and Karen where they might find both! Together we can conclude the story and cause with happy ending!

By the video posted by @lionelferra we realized that the Columbus pump and our chocolate might be in the same bag! On pictures we saw the pump and the chocolate being packed in one cargo bag! But which one is it?  

Take action: Together we might be able to reach @astro_luca, @AstroKarenN and the rest of the team, so that they can find the chocolate and tell us how it tastes!

The idea to send some bars of our Change Chocolate into space came up during lunch a few weeks ago, when Gisela mentioned that her boyfriend was working at the European Space Station in Kourou preparing for the launch of the Ariana-5 space rocket. Inspired by the facebook posts of Col. Chris Hadfield, Andreas got the idea to send up some Change Chocolate to the ISS. And it worked. Our story caused tweeting frenzy, made it into an ESA Blogpost and even and to the Russian News Agency

Help us to conclude the story. Take part and let's reach the ISS. Earth is calling #Chocosphere ;) 

(Photos: ESA & Twitter)   

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When will they find the chocolate!? - Let the hunt begin! 

Just in time, the hatch opens and our chocolate has made it into the social media channels of ESA - causing a lot of positive reactions: Chocolate sent as a surprise to the Astronauts and nobody knows what happens next. 

Perhaps they will send us a picture while enjoying our chocolate?! Take part and ask Luca and Karen if they found the surprise already. Together we can conclude the story and cause with happy ending!?

In the picture above, @lionelferra Luca and Cosmo Sasha are looking through window Nr. 5 during the rendezvous with ATV-4, tweets @shuttlealmanac on twitter. ESA updated that, "the hatch is closed right now and the scrubber is running until 15:35 CEST. All all cargo is still secured in place as it was loaded into ATV at Kourou during Cargo Integration".

We hope Luca and his team will be able to confirm delivery soon and the hunt for the chocolate can begin. We are very excited about when they might find their sweet surprise and whether we will hear something from them. Are you excited, too? Take action: Together we might be able to reach @astro_luca, @AstroKarenN and the rest of the team, so that they can finally learn the story about why there is actually Change Chocolate aboard ATV-4 “Albert Einstein”

The idea to send some bars of our Change Chocolate into space came up during lunch a few weeks ago, when Gisela mentioned that her boyfriend was working at the European Space Station in Kourou preparing for the launch of the Ariana-5 space rocket. Inspired by the facebook posts of Col. Chris Hadfield, Andreas got the idea to send up some Change Chocolate to the ISS. And it worked. Our story caused tweeting frenzy, made it into an ESA Blogpost and even and to the Russian News Agency

Help us to conclude the story. Take part and let's reach the ISS. Earth is calling #Chocosphere ;) 

  (Photos: ESA & Twitter)   

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"We wonder what the astronauts will think of our chocolate!"

Without a plan. Without a budget. Without knowledge. Just a simple idea during lunchtime that got our chocolate aboard ISS and into a Blogpost of ESA. Nobody knows what happens next and even ESA wonders "what the Astronauts will think of it". Let's ask them! Let's reach ISS. The people of planet earth are calling #chocosphere!  Tweet about #chocosphere and together we may reach @astro_luca, @AstroKarenN and the rest of the team so they finally also get to know the story why there is actually Change Chocolate aboard ATV-4 "Albert Einstein".

“You can tell it is very good quality nice chocolate” says Kirsten MacDonell, ATV cargo manager in the ESA Blogpost. That's true! The Change Chocolate has become one of the most sold Fairtrade Chocolates in Germany within a year - and without any marketing budget.   

The idea to send some bars of our Change Chocolate to space came up during lunch a few weeks ago, when Gisela mentioned her boyfriend was working at the European Space Station in Kourou preparing for the launch of the Ariana-5 space rocket. Inspired by the facebook posts of Col. Chris Hadfield, Andreas got the idea to uplift some Change Chocolate to the ISS. And it worked. Our story caused several Tweets, made it into ESA Blogpost and even and to Russian News Agency

Help us to conclude the story. Take part and let's reach the ISS. Earth is calling #Chocosphere ;) 

(Photo Credits: ESA and Plant-for-the-Planet)

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How did we manage to get Change Chocolate to the ISS?

Into-the-chocosphere has become quite an incredible and unbelievable story. Space fans from all over the world ask themselves how we managed to get the bars into ATV-4.  

Let's start from the very beginning. In 2007 a nine year old boy, Felix, had to give a school presentation about the climate crisis. He had the idea that children could plant millions of trees. 6 years later thousands of children all over the world are fighting for their future and planted more than 12 billion trees. 

“The Change Chocolate” in Germany: carbon neutral and fair trade certified, has become one of the most sold fairtrade chocolates without any marketing budget - and a great instrument to reach more people. 

We, the Plant-for-the-Planet Foundation, support the Children. However the Foundation has got very limited financial resources, efficiency is one of our highest goals. Always searching for the biggest lever to spread the cause of the children many incredible stories happened the last years.

Therefore having the idea to send chocolate to the ISS, where scientists do important experiments and take great pictures from mother earth is not that unusual. However, that it worked out has been quite a surprise for us, too. Everything had to go very fast. We even packed the chocolate into a used box.  

  It did work out because people liked the idea and the story behind Plant-for-the-Planet. Into-the-chocosphere has only been possible because a few people were willing to do more than they had to and in the end our chocolate was loaded into ATV-4. Thank you very much!

So far so good. Nobody knows what happens next. Luca and his team unload ATV-4 on Tuesday. Let's hope they find - and like - the Change Chocolate. 

With your support at twitter #chocosphere we reach Luca and his team perhaps. So they finally also get to know the story why there is actually Change Chocolate at the ISS.

A short introduction video about Plant-for-the-Planet 

(Photo: ESA Ground Crew in Kourou)

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Change Chocolate reached International Space Station 

It started as an idea during lunchtime a few weeks ago. But the idea has become reality. Since 15 June 14:07 (GMT) ATV-4 "Albert Einstein" is connected to ISS. Inside the ATV 12 bars of the Change Chocolate wait as a sweet surprise for the Crew. 

Besides 12 bars of our excellent chocolate it carries more than 1400 other items packed into 141 bags, including 2480 kg of dry cargo such as scientific equipment, spare parts, food and clothes for the astronauts. Unloading starts on Tuesday. During its four months attached to the Station, ATV will provide 45 cubic metres of extra crew quarters.

We congratulate to each and everyone involved in ATV4 Mission.  

(Photo Credit: NASA)

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A few hours before arrival our Chocolate is not only in the ATV-4 but also in the Twitter Account of ESA Operations

The ATV-4, carrying our Change Chocolate as a sweet surprise is expected to dock with the International Space Station at 15:46 CEST. The docking will be webcast via http://www.esa.int on Saturday, 15 June, 14:50-16:00 CEST. 

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Change Chocolate for Heroes 

For people who take such pictures “alone” in orbit, 400 km away from home, receiving a delivery of chocolate must come as a surprise. “I thought it was a nice idea" says  Kirsten MacDonell, ATV cargo manager in ESA's Blogpost. Change Chocolate for a global change.

“Before I flew I was already aware of how small and vulnerable our planet is; but only when I saw it from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that human kind’s most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations.” Sigmund Jähn 

The children of Plant-for-the-Planet act as, and understand themselves to be, a global family fighting for their future. We believe that the photographs that the crew of the ISS sends us from space help to change our attitude towards our planet. 

No ATV in sight yet, however ATV-4 “Albert Einstein” is expected to arrive at the ISS tomorrow, Saturday, 15 June. On Monday, Luca and his crew will start getting ready to unload the cargo - and hopefully discover our sweet surprise Read more about the docking

.

(Photo Credits: NASA, ESA/NASA and Twitter @Astro_Luca)

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A thumbs-up from ground forces!

Change at foot! We've just received this photo of the Astrium mechanics crew on ground in Kourou – the guys who loaded all the cargo (and the Change Chocolate) onto the ATV "Albert Einstein".

We hope the Crew of the International Space Station smiles the same when they receive the surprise Change Chocolate delivery! 

Right now the ATV – and of course our on-board Change Chocolate is on its way to the Crew. And according to the ATV-4 mission report 9 June, and it's doing just great ;) 

Docking is scheduled for 15 June, 10 am (CEST). Be with us when probably the first probable fairtrade chocolate arrives at the ISS. 

Spread the word! 

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3... 2... 1... Orbit!

We did it! The Change Chocolate is in space!!

At 23.52 (CEST) yesterday, the European Space Agency successfully launched its rocket to the International Space Station – with our chocolates on board.

Although travelling up at 2.4km/s, this time, it will take twice as long as usual to make it to the ISS – which will reduce the use of propellant.

So?! Time for a new countdown!: to when our astronauts get their hands on the chocolate. Or should we say, lips.

And you can follow this live in ten days time on 15th June, at 10am (CEST).

Looking forward to it!

Become a fan of the Change Chocolate on Facebook, and twitter with us on #chocosphere.

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Prepare for lift off!

Just a little time, some groundbreaking science, and one very organised team of scientists later – the Ariane-5 rocket is ready for launch.

And it’s a record breaker! With a launch mass of 20,235kg, it’s the heaviest spacecraft ever to be launched out of Europe.

The ATV-Satellite – appropriately named “Albert Einstein” will be laden with goodies to refresh the station and its crew for the next five months. From spare parts to science experiments – a grand total of 1,400 items. That’s the largest load of dry cargo yet to be ferried by any ATV. 

Luca Parmitano, the on board flight engineer on the ISS, will receive the mega-package which will be arriving on the 15th June after a whopping ten days of health checks and orbital maneuvers in space.

We hope you enjoy our chocolate, Luca and team! 

(Video via ESA)

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One small bite for the crew, one giant leap for our message.

This project is a pretty exceptional opportunity for a rather unusual chocolate. After all, not all chocolates make it to space, right?

So what makes us so unique? Well, for every five bars sold, one tree is planted by the children of Plant-for-the-Planet. That means every bar is climate neutral.

But that’s not just it. It’s also fair trade, meaning that the kids of cocoa growers can go to school. So it does good for generations to come.

Oh, and it tastes pretty good, too! 

So no wonder our colleague Gisela figured: wouldn‘t it be nice if even astronauts could finally munch on something – apart from liquidised schnitzel.

And big ideas belong in space anyway, don’t they?

(Photo via NASA)

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Day 4: Pioneering change from the tip of a rocket.

Tightly bound and in the hands of a courier, the chocolate was on its way. We waited with baited breath. Until the news came. 

The chocolates had arrived safely in Kourou! 

Ready for a journey of astrological proportions.

Become a fan of the Change Chocolate on Facebook, and twitter with us on #chocosphere

(Photo via ESA_events)

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Day 3: When a phone call becomes a science experiment.

So how do you prepare 100g bar of chocolate to travel over 400km through the stratosphere, into the earth’s orbit, and onto the ISS?

Well, with a dash of enthusiasm and a shake of science.

Everything had to be urgently packed and measured. Twelve chocolate bars. All with a transparent sealed ziplock, inside a bubble-wrap ziplock. And of course, enough chocolate to sweeten up the day for the team in Kourou.

  Taped and ready, we had just enough time to write a letter to the Astronauts. To Fyodor Yurchikhin, Karen Nyberg, and Luca Parmitano, who rocketed up just a few days ago. And Pavel Vinogradov, Alexander Misurkin, and Chris Cassidy, who greeted them on arrival.

Now all we had to do was be patient, and wait for our tasty greeting to arrive...

Become a fan of the Change Chocolate on Facebook, and twitter with us on #chocosphere

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Day 2: How an email launched us off the ground.

It’s one thing to convince a loving boyfriend. But how can you convince some of the worlds most discerning scientists to pack our tasty treasure into a high-tech, limited-space supply rocket? 

With a vision!

As fast as his fingers could walk, Andreas typed an email to the European Space Agency:

Our world is fragile, and with this chocolate we want to set a truly sustainable example. To change the world, piece by piece.

And what better place for a message than the single place in the world that literally everyone can see, at any time – in space itself! 

And in what better hands for this message than those who watch, research, and change our world every day: Astronauts.

Bing! Email sent. Anxiously, we waited. An entire ten minutes. And then... 

The phone rang.

Become a fan of the Change Chocolate on Facebook, and twitter with us on #chocosphere

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Day 1: How a lazy lunch sent rockets soaring.

What happens when you combine an astronomically good chocolate, an unstoppable employee, and advanced aeronautical engineering?

It all started with a cheeky lunch with our lovely colleague, Gisela. As we chatted, it emerged that Gisela’s boyfriend was working at the European Space Station in Kourou preparing for the launch of the Ariana-5 space rocket. 

Now that’s some special rocket. It’s the rocket that will shoot supplies of earthly luxuries (like Oxygen) to the seven astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS).

Inspired by the facebook posts of Col. Chris Hadfield, Andreas mentioned to uplift some Change Chocolate to the ISS. At that moment it clicked. If you were shooting supplies out the stratosphere anyway, maybe, just maybe, The Change Chocolate could fly with it. And what better a signal than changing the world from space? 

  Wishful thinking surely. But Gisela couldn’t let go. It took a single Skype call for the idea to take off. Of course, you can't shoot milk chocolate into space “just so”, explained her boyfriend. First, you would have to get in touch with the European Space Agency.

So that's exactly what we did...

Become a fan of the Change Chocolate on Facebook, and twitter with us on #chocosphere

(Photo via NASA HQ PHOTOS)

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Der Beginn einer großen Geschichte?

Von so manchen unglaublichen Erlebnissen im Rahmen von Plant-for-the-Planet inspiriert, merkte Andreas nebenbei an, dass, wenn man schon dabei wäre, auch gleich einige Tafeln der Guten Schokolade ins Weltall geschossen werden könnten. Das wäre doch mal ein Zeichen: Die Welt verbessern – vom Weltall aus! Gisela ließ die Idee der Schokolade im All nicht mehr los – und ein Skype-Gespräch mit ihrem Freund später, war auch er begeistert. Into the Chocosphere war geboren!

  Doch wie bringt man ein paar der scharfsinnigsten Wissenschaftler der Welt dazu, den spärlich vorhandenen Platz einer exorbitant teuren High-Tech-Rakete für Schokolade zu nutzen? Mit einer Vision!

Andreas tippte eine E-Mail an die Europäische Luft- und Raumfahrtbehörde (ESA): "Wir wollen mit unserer Schokolade Stück für Stück die Welt retten. Und einen nachhaltigen Beitrag zu ihrem Erhalt leisten. Ein Projekt, von dem noch Generationen profitieren sollen – mit einer Botschaft, die jeden etwas angeht. Und in welch bessere Hände könnte man die Schokolade legen, als in die von Astronauten? Sie beobachten, erforschen und verändern die zerbrechliche Welt, die wir mit unserer Schokolade retten wollen!"

Bing – E-Mail versendet. Wir warteten 10 Minuten. Dann klingelte das Telefon. Wir sollten so schnell wie möglich anfangen. Also: sofort!

  Alles musste schnell verpackt und vermessen werden. Akribisch wurde vermessen und gewogen, mehrere Durchgänge, alles wurde fotografiert um den Bodencrew eine möglichst genaue Vorstellung von Maßen und Gewicht unserer Lieferung zu geben. 

Das Ergebnis: 12 Tafeln Schokolade in einem versiegelten Ziplock-Beutel. Ein weiterer Beutel sorgte dafür, dass unsere intergalaktische Fracht unversehrt blieb. Und wir vergaßen auch nicht, der Bodencrew in Kourou mit ein paar Extratafeln den Tag zu versüßen. Jetzt konnten wir nur noch warten und hoffen, dass unser süßer Gruß sein Ziel erreicht – unsere Schokolade ist schon in der Rakete. Hoffen wir, dass sie auch wirklich mitfliegen wird.

  Ein schönes Beispiel, wie man ohne den Einsatz von finanziellen Mitteln mit Begeisterung und viel Engagement von Unterstützern viel Aufmerksamkeit für eine Botschaft erregen kann. Werdet Teil und sorgt dafür, dass die Welt von unserer Schokolade und den Zielen der Kinder erfährt.

Alle Infos immer auf dem Aktionsblog: www.into-the-chocosphere.org und als Fan auf facebook.

(Foto: Plant-for-the-Planet, ESA)