The Italian astronaut, in orbit for almost five months, takes over from Russian cosmonaut Oleg Aetemyev. 'I'm honored,' her first comment. Never anyone like her in Europe

Samantha Cristoforetti shows us how to live in space Photo Video

It always surprises us. Samantha Cristoforetti becomes the first European female commander of the International Space Station (ISS). Yet, the return of the ESA astronaut (European Space Agency) to Earth, according to the plans initially established, was scheduled for mid-September. But now at the end of the month, on the 28th, she takes the place of the Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev - Photo | video

Samantha Cristoforetti “may be the first woman on the moon

'IT'S A GREAT HONOR' - Our AstroSamantha, which left with the Minerva ESA Mission for the ISS from Florida, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, last April 27, will stop on the International Space Station one more month (to date there is still no official date for return). 'I am honored by my appointment to the position of commander and look forward to drawing on the experience I have gained in space and on Earth to lead a very capable team into orbit,' said Samantha Cristoforetti. Since the beginning of the Minerva mission, Samantha Cristoforetti has been in charge of the US orbital segment (Usos-United States Orbital Segment), overseeing the activities of the American, European, Japanese and Canadian components of the ISS. After assuming her new role, she will become the fifth European commander of the Space Station, following in the footsteps of former ESA astronauts Frank De Winne, Alexander Gerst, Luca Parmitano and Thomas Pesquet. All five ISS partners decide the role of commander of the Space Station, i.e. the space agencies of the United States (NASA), Russia (Roscosmos), Europe (ESA), Japan (Jaxa) and Canada (CSA).

Samantha Cristoforetti and the seven-hour spacewalk - guard

AT HOME, THE COMPANION AND THE TWO CHILDREN ARE WAITING FOR HER - 'The choice of Samantha Cristoforetti for the role of commander demonstrates the trust and value that our international partners place in ESA astronauts. During the Minerva mission, you contributed greatly to the Station’s scientific and operational successes and I anticipate that you will continue to thrive under your leadership, ”said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. Samantha will officially become commander after a real handover ceremony: there will in fact be the symbolic passage of the ISS key from the hands of Oleg Artemyev to her. The ceremony will be broadcast live from the International Space Station on ESA's Web TV. The International Space Station where AstroSamantha 'lives' in this period, and home of astronauts since 2000, orbits 400 kilometers from the Earth: it revolves around our Planet once every 90 minutes, with a speed 30 times faster than that of an aircraft of line. Her partner, the aerospace engineer Lionel Ferra, and her children, Kelsi Amel, born in 2016, and Dorian Lev, who arrived in 2020, await her return to the ground.

Samantha Cristoforetti, no shower (and sleeping in a sleeping bag): this is how you live in space - guard

THE PASSAGE OF DELIVERIES - With Samantha Cristoforetti on the ISS there are the Nasa colleagues with whom she started with the ScaceX Crew Dragon capsule called Freedom. They are Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines and Jessica Watkins. Russian cosmonauts Oleg Atemyev live with them on the ISS, leaving her the post of commander of the International Space Station, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov. As commander of the Space Station, AstroSamantha will be in charge of the astronauts of the ISS, she will have the task of communicating with the control center on Earth and will have to coordinate the crew in case of any emergency situation. Finally, she will have to organize the handover with the new crew that will arrive on the ISS.

Source: oggi.it