Thomas Pesquet recounts his adventures in front of 5,000 people at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse
They had reserved their place and waited for it under the Toulouse sun: 5,000 people attended an exchange with astronaut Thomas Pesquet at the Cité de l’Espace in Toulouse this Friday, June 3. It was the first major post-covid event at the Cité. A press point was first held until 5:30 p.m., then an exchange with the public until 7 p.m. The astronaut from Rouen (Seine-Maritime) who studied at ISAE-Supaéro in Toulouse, just returned from a second stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). After the Proxmia mission in 2016-2017, he has just spent nearly 200 days in space in 2021, 400 km from Earth.
A look back at his Alpha mission aboard the International Space Station
Thomas Pesquet described his extravehicular outings, on five occasions with his American partner: “it’s still very impressive. I was transported by the robotic arm, it’s always different and you always have to stay focused.”
The astronaut spoke about the subjects that are particularly dear to his heart: the environment, education, parity between men and women and is delighted that the selection of astronauts in which he participated – to welcome a new promotion in November-ait”features a lot of girls“Thomas Pesquet encourage the younger generation to enter the astronaut contest. Moreover, his art of communication has exploded the applications of potential astronauts to the European Space Agency.
From 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., on a minute timetable on board the Station, dedicated to scientific, technical and sports experiments. My activity on social networks was in the very early morning, in the evening, at night or on Sundays. It is not an obligation but I chose to do it thoroughly out of conviction.
On board the International Space Station, Thomas Pesquet conducted hundreds of experiments European and French with his American, Japanese and Russian teammates. For example, they illustrated worms with genetic codes close to humans and the reaction of their organisms in space, to advance research on myopathy.
Toulouse, “not easy to find from space”
To the question, is it easy to spot Toulouse from Space, Thomas Pesquet answers that “It is not so easy“Cities by the sea, the ocean are easier to find, explains the astronaut.”I took a little while for Toulouse. But it must be said that the pink color of the city can be seen from space.” It made me happy to see places that are close to my heart : the Cité de l’Espace, ISAE-Supaéro, Toulouse-Blagnac airport, Airbus.
Thomas Pésquet discussed the consequences of the war in Ukraine on space cooperation : “relations have become strained with Russian partners” of the European Space Agency. “We do not make decisions today to initiate the cooperation of tomorrow“.
The Europeans, on an Ariane 5 for access to space, we can observe the Earth, on one of the weather satellites, but we do not yet have a European manned flight. On board the International Space Station, we continue to work together, on good terms. The international space station cannot be cut in two. On the moon, on the other hand, we will not work with the Russians, who may cooperate with the Chinese.
Objective moon
It’s been a little over six months since he returned to Earth. “I got used to earth life again, the first traffic jams made me feel weird (laughs) Post-mission time is over. We are handed over to scientists who carry out experiments of which we are the guinea pigs, there fitness time, debriefings.”
He confides that he will take a bit of vacation before preparing for a mission to the Moon (the first manned launch without descending is scheduled for 2024), so you have to resume physical training fairly quickly, piloting in order to be selected. “The great novelty will be to descend to the surface, we have not experienced this since Apollo“ recalls Thomas Pesquet.
And the planet Mars?
Before going to Mars, Thomas Pesquet is convinced, it will first pass by the Moon, given the distances, the proportions. The Moon is 1000 times further than the International Space Station. The Station takes three hours to return to Earth, the Moon takes three days. Mars is a very long trajectory, 300 days out and 300 days back, “the slightest can take on crazy proportions, the risks of the trip are immense. Doing a stopover on the Moon is essential.”