There is a year and a half, the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, which must reach in November 2016 the International Space Station (ISS), was engaged in a veritable “marathon” to prepare. Now he started “the final sprint,” he said Thursday at a year-off.
Aged 37, the youngest member of the team of astronauts from the Space Agency European (ESA) announced at a press conference in Paris on behalf of its mission to be held for six months aboard the ISS.
The ESA had appealed in April to Internet creativity to give a name to travel in space.
Some 1,300 French and European proposals, the young Norman retained “Proxima”, a name suggested by a young Toulousain 13 years.
“I wanted to enroll in the tradition of French manned flights that have always had to name stars and constellations” (Altair, Cassiopeia, Andromeda etc.), told the astronaut by unveiling the blue logo of the mission.
Proxima Centauri is the closest star to the solar system. Thomas Pesquet also chose it “to close” that he wants to “maintain with people, in terms of scientific results, that it serves to the population.” And also “to share this experience through social networks, video will be done inside the station to try to board people with us.”
With the American Peggy Whitson, “veteran” of the space, and a Russian cosmonaut, Thomas Pesquet will board a Soyuz spacecraft that will be launched on November 15 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
“Since the announcement my selection for this mission, in March 2014, the training has not stopped. It was a marathon (…) Now it’s the final sprint that will last a year, “said the sportsman accomplished, blue-gray eyes
-. Playing the sax watching Earth –
diver and skydiver, a black belt in judo, Thomas Pesquet is aerospace engineer and airline pilot. He was selected in 2009 to become ESA astronaut.
Speaking to the press, Thomas Pesquet detailed his intensive training for a year and a half.
First learn to know the ship Soyuz through a simulator Star City in Russia. . “Hundreds of hours” to “repeated takeoffs”
It should also learn to use the ISS: “more complex Nothing was ever conceived by human hands” , according to him. And above all prepare to repair the Station when needed. “It’s all alone up there.” “It is a plumber, electrician, computer scientist, mechanic,” lists the astronaut.
The smallest tasks are more complicated in space, hygiene, health, food, sports and even the sleep. “We must learn to breathe, to eat, to wash, you have to relearn everything.”
To all this is added the learning of Russian and preparation of scientific experiments he will conduct 200 the ISS – including 55 for ESA.
In the pool, in Houston (USA), Thomas Pesquet also leads to move with a diving suit in case it would have to go outside of the ISS.
Some big failures require spacewalk, “an opportunity” for the young man. “I want to open the airlock, get out, to have the Earth below, 450 km vacuum feet and let go a little hands,” said Thomas Pesquet.
caresses another dream: to bring his saxophone to play on Sunday, “watching the Earth.” But for now, “we have not solved the transportation problem”: the instrument does not fit “in the shoe box” that serves as a background
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