TOULOUSE

Toulouse. A former astronaut tells how Thomas Pesquet’s return to Earth will be

Through Anthony Assemat
Published on

Thomas Pesquet, the astronaut trained in Toulouse, is back on Earth with his colleagues on the night of Monday 8 to Tuesday 9 November 2021. (© Twitter / cc / NASA)

“Leave him alone! “. While English astronaut Thomas Pesquet is due to return from a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS), Tuesday, November 9, 2021 on the 4:30 am strokes off Florida, in the USA, Toulouse news asked Toulousain Philippe Perrin, a former astronaut, how is the return to Earth after such an experience.

Getting used to others again, reuniting with your family …

His first feeling is clear: “An astronaut must be quiet for several weeks because living six months in a station is enormous. He will have three weeks of rehabilitation in Cologne, Germany, then he will have to take the time to get used to others, to his environment, to find his family, but also to pay attention to cardiac risks, his spine… ”.

Philippe Perrin had spent 14 days in the ISS in 2002

Philippe Perrin was part, in 2002, of a mission aboard the ISS where he spent nearly 14 days in space and carried out three extra-vehicular outings. “It was a short but very dense mission, remembers the Toulouse astronaut. You have to make the station your home because even if the Earth is 450 km away, it is far from you, it is an unknown planet. it’s as if we were breathing recycled air in this space submarine, because it smells very bad in the Station, it’s still camping! When we come back to Earth, we want to be like Sandra Bullock in “Gravity ” : Breathe easy !
When I returned, I was very tired, but I remember this happy feeling to rediscover the Earth. I missed everything then: humans, animals, sunrays. By force, we end up no longer understanding the beauty of life, “said the former astronaut.

Philippe Perrin had been part of a 14-day mission aboard the ISS in 2002.
Philippe Perrin had been part of a 14-day mission aboard the ISS in 2002. (© Illustration / Wikipedia)

“The return is already a feat in itself”

How will the return of Thomas Pesquet, trained in Toulouse as an engineer at ISAE-Supaero, unfold?

“The return is already a feat in itself. The capsule will enter the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 28,000 km / h then an exit at 600 km / h, before developing two series of parachutes. The vehicle must be integrated, waterproof, well piloted and no de-orbiting pad. The novelty for Thomas will be the return to sea (during his previous “Proxima” mission, in 2016-2017, he landed in the Kazakh steppes, l ‘ditching will therefore be a first for him, note) hoping that it is not too agitated, even if we predict bad weather conditions in Florida “.

Philippe PerrinFormer astronaut

What effects on health?

Health and getting used to terrestrial conditions will be essential according to the former astronaut. “He will have to be careful with his spine. And the other problem that will arise, it’s blood pressure. The heart pumps less in space, it will have to make sure to drink salt water, ”he continues. The effects of such a long mission can also be felt in the long term. “On a six-month flight, some organs can age, there may be a loss of visual acuity.”

Philippe Perrin will be present at the Cité de l’Espace on Monday, November 8, 2021, to discuss and comment on Thomas Pesquet’s return to Earth. A return that will be broadcast live on the site.

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