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Home , Alexander Gerst, Andreas Mogensen, Columbus Control Centre, Habitation Module, Luca Parmitano, Samantha Cristoforetti

“I cannot wait to get to the International and to fly on a new spacecraft too. The work we do in space is preparing humankind for larger steps into the cosmos, while continuously bringing advancements for all on Earth”

Thomas Pesquet NAME MISSION Thomas Pesquet Cleared for liftoff BORN 27 February 1978 ,

Thomas Pesquet is the first (civilian trained) commercial Thomas is taking a new ride to space and will be the OCCUPATION airline pilot to become an and his love for first European to leave Earth on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Astronaut aviation and the stars shows in everything he does. launching from Florida, USA. The crew of four includes Airline and zero-g research pilot NASA Megan McArthur and , Leaving Earth for the first time in the middle of winter on who was with Thomas on the International Space STUDIES a Russian spacecraft, Thomas was launched from Station during his Proxima mission, as well as Japanese Spacecraft design and control Baikonur, , to the International Space Station astronaut Aki Hoshide. Aeronautics for his Proxima mission in 2016. flight school

During his first mission, Thomas and crew broke records MISSIONS for the amount of science conducted on the International Proxima (2016) Space Station, and Thomas conducted two spacewalks to Alpha (2021) maintain the Station. TIME IN SPACE His pictures from space and frequent updates make him 197 days one of the most followed astronauts worldwide, bringing closer to Earth and sharing the unique SPACEWALKS experiences of living and working in Earth orbit. Two, total time 12 hours 32 minutes

Alpha HOBBIES Now Thomas is returning to the International Space Sports and Station for a second mission called Alpha, after the star Alpha Centauri, located in the same system as Proxima. ESA–N.Fischer

“The Alpha mission connects to my first mission, Proxima, as the stars belong to the same system close to Earth. Alpha, a Greek letter, is also widely used in mathematics, science and technology. And, as the first letter of the alphabet, it is often synonymous with the excellence we try to achieve in .” MISSION THE Space for everyone

Established in 1975, ESA now has 22 Member States and cooperates with many others. These countries are home to more than 500 million European citizens. If you’re one of them, then we’re working for you.

Our mission is the peaceful exploration and use of space for the benefit of everyone. We watch over Earth, develop and launch inspiring and unique space projects, fly astronauts and push the boundaries of science and technology, seeking answers to the big questions about the Universe.

We are a family of scientists, engineers and business professionals from all over Europe, working together in a diverse and multinational environment.

ESA is a partner in the International Space Station along with the United States, Russia, Japan and Canada. The first European astronaut flew to space in 1983, and the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany, has been training men and women for missions since 1998.

Participation in the International Space Station allows thousands of Europe’s brightest people at hundreds of universities and companies in ESA’s Member States to work on the leading edge of science and engineering.

ESA patch floating in the International Space Station's European-built Cupola window (NASA/ESA) MISSION telecommunicationdefence. and focusesand on five strategic Ariane rockets, elements: science, observation, and Kourou inFrench Guiana, CNES represents France’s ambitions in space With 2368 employees working in four centres inParis and inFrance, the world. EuropeanspaceCommissionthewell as as ESA and through agencies around international space cooperation. It keeps close ties Europeanwith its partners in 1961. With a budget of €2.3 billion in 2021, CNES is a major player in France created its space agency, Centre National Spatialesd’Études (CNES), CNES CNES CADMOS control centre (CNES–T. De Prada, 2020) MISSION (ESA/DLR–G. Zoeschinger) as training controllers simulations. and rooms: one for operations one forand preparations, such day,a seven daysThe centre week. a hastwo control The Centre’s operations teams provide hours support 24 communications network. SpaceStation to and operateEuropean the ground operations ofEuropean payloads the on International theEuropean spacelaboratory’s systems, to coordinate The centre’s functionsmain areto command control and The Control Centre is the direct to link Columbusorbit. in , near Munich, Germany. It islocated at the Aerospace German Center in DLR Col-CC, theEuropean supports Columbus spacelaboratory. ESA’s Columbus Control Centre, known by its call-sign GROUND CONTROL

MISSION astronauts. fortimelines theplans flight and controllersand from Thethem. information isused to generate mission OperationsSupport and Centres receivesand information The Columbus Control Centre distributes data to the User theand Space Station. They actbetween scienceas thelink teams on ground conduct tasks toneeded prepare operateand experiments. International Space Station. The Operation Centres ofimplementation use European and payloads the on Centresusers. around Europe are responsible for the Centres (USOCs) to support International Space Station ESA Increated 1998, the User Support Operationsand OPERATIONS CENTRES USER SUPPORT AND Belgian User Support Operationsand Centre Atmosphere-Space during Interactions Monitor installation (ESA–J. Harrod) MISSION in the Airbus Zero-G research aircraft runby Novespace. the Internationalcapsules and Space on Station well as as returned. CADMOS accompanies microgravity research on operations during flight and collecting and treating data in three domains:preparing experiments,managing physiologicalnow space worksCADMOS experiments. Operations Centres based its experienceon 1998 in in CADMOS became part of ESA’s User Support and demanding domain ofhuman spaceflight. made scientific programmes a reality for the extremely Jean-Loup Chrétien, flew into space. Engineers at CNES were taken in1982 when the first French astronaut, . The first steps toward this effort operateand the scientific experiments conducted for sowed the seeds for operational an centre toprepare French-Russian to the1980s. cooperation at the time expertise ofback goes working the engineers CADMOS at around space the Though 1993, missions. in established has extensive experienceinternational in cooperation Based at the CNES centre Toulouse, in France, CADMOS CADMOS: MICROGRAVITY EXPERTS spaceflight is also a priority.spaceflighta also is research for Solar System exploration human and technological in space, for Earth. French scientific Station sothat scientists can continue to advance world-class laboratory that is the International Space Through thisprogramme, CNES aims toimprove on the scientific educational and technological experiments. For has prepared CADMOS the mission Alpha a dozen and health. ESA’s European Astronaut Centre for astronaut training effects of spaceflight on the body are simulated, and at missions, such as the Space Toulouse, Clinic in where the physiologicalfor of all aspects CADMOS support who For human spaceflight, CNES works with MEDES teams Thomas Pesquet running CNES Echo experiment on the International Space Station (ESA/NASA) MISSION TRAINING FOR FLIGHT Return to space on a Dragon

Never stop learning: after Thomas returned to Earth, he continued training to keep his skills fresh and ready.

As an airline pilot and astronaut, Thomas is an ideal candidate to fly the microgravity research aircraft Air Zero-G – a refitted Airbus A310 that flies in repeated arcs 600 m up and down to provide 'weightless' conditions for the scientists and passengers on board. This type of aircraft requires no less than three pilots to fly in these extreme parabolas, so Thomas gained the Zero-G pilot rating to allow more experiments and people to experience these conditions.

Thomas also took part in an underwater training course called NEEMO NXT, run by NASA off the coast of California. He tested new technology, tools, techniques and training programmes for space exploration in an extreme envrionment: underwater. The underwater world offers similar geological features as the Moon and enables ideas to be tested under high workload, real-world stress and the unexpected problems that come with field work.

Remaining on active duty, Thomas was assigned to his next flight just three years after landing, this time flying on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. In addition to the usual refresher training, Thomas had to learn new procedures for a different launch vehicle, and a new spacecraft with different landing system.

Earmarked for his mission is the installation of the , part of a new Russian laboratory module. Thomas spent many hours at Star City near , Russia, learning new the robotic controls and how to assist spacewalks for installation.

Should the opportunity for a spacewalk arise, he is ready to go back out into space.

Thomas Pesquet training on SpaceX Dragon (SpaceX) MISSION ThomasPesquet takes a selfie during a spacewalk (ESA/NASA–T. Pesquet) “ there is little margin for error.” activity needs to be planned and thought out indetail, engineering and collaboration –each detail during an A spacewalk is ashowcase of human technology, Thomas Pesquet flying Air Zero-G (Novespace/ESA) SCIENCE “ that couldtheshape way welive work. and radiation,biology demonstrating and well as as technologies scientific activities, covering human research, physical science, Thomas environment, In unique devote this will lot ofa timeto new of technologiesboundaries thepushes knowledge. our and there,Up Earth. the crewresearch, outcarries pioneering tests toopportunity perform that experiments arejustnot possible on live inmicrogravity. This ‘weightless’ laboratory offers the In ‘freefall’ around astronautsthe planet, theon Space Station apply.not governingsedimentation, rules convectionthe and do phenomena. The International Space Station is placea where equation and we can improve our understanding of natural Gravity everything weaffects do.almost Remove it from the European sciencespace in OF HUMANKIND RESEARCH FOR THE BENEFIT work we do for the researchers, benefitting all on Earth.” and improve metal alloys. It is fascinating and Ilove the new cartridges inthe Station’s metal furnace to analyse moment launching satellites, and inthe afternoon putting One moment we will be incubating stem cells, the next we runso many experiments itis hard to keep track. Every day is different on the International Space Station;

Thomas Pesquet during GRASP experiment on the International Space Station (ESA/NASA) SCIENCE Europe’s laboratory in space is packed with scientific equipment (ESA/NASA) – from– space to your doorstep. Intensive use of this laboratory leads to new applications benefitsand for people on Earth remarkable this in experiment facility. constantly breaks new scientificground. More 250 experiments havethan been out carried After circlinga thedecade orbit, versatile km/h, our planet in Columbus laboratory 800 at 28 tolinks scientistsEarth. on laboratoryas independent an ownwith its power coolingand systems communicationsand Thomas’s work station includes 16 experiment facilities that run24/7.Each unit functions phenomena that Earth. cannot on be observed complex powerfuland module offers researchers the microgravity needed to unmask from astrobiology scienceand tometallurgy psychology. and Inside this out, and weightlessness. Europe’s laboratory space in houses a wide range of scientific disciplines, Columbus is the firstand only European laboratory dedicated to long-term research in Where science happens THE COLUMBUS LABORATORY “ in the laboratory again.” forwardStation. looking am I to working piece of Europe on the International Space Columbus was my home inspace, alittle SCIENCE Thomas Pesquet practising suturing during astronaut training (ESA) “ space-exploring species.” out how we operate as a control!mission We needto work 24 minutes to get areply from around Mars where itwould take the surface of the Moon or travelling never far away –imagine being on and mission control and Earth are We are prepared for allemergencies

transplants, regenerationcell surgicaland techniques. alive for longer laboratories periods, studies in aiding on new a Earth technique that on keeps tissuebiopsies preparations for Suture space in have already developed The study how understand help heal, butwill humans the space. in to trackprogressed how times they healing mechanisms.The be will frozensamples at set where astronauts activatewill the cells tomonitor the cut sewnback and together,before senttobeing space heal in weightlessness. Living tissue from be biopsies will The ratherregeneratethan fully. adequately explained whymammals scar orhealimperfectly Wound healing is a complex process no one has and on Earth inhours. far worst-case a in from home; scenario they land could are avoidedcostsinjuries but at astronauts all arenever theare On nohospitals. International Space Station, toprepare formedical emergencies occurring where there humans travelAs farther from we our homeplanet, need farHealing fromhome EXPLORE FARTHER Suturein space experiment will look experiment will athow tissues SCIENCE the Moon forthe deep-spacemissions. fromEarth, such as to theGateway, a stagingpost around spaceflight asspace prepareagencies to explore farther Advanced life-support systems are a huge step for human costly resupply missions from Earth. enable astronauts to stay spacein indefinitely without waterrecovery and foodproduction, that willeventually goalto create a closedlife-support system, including to three astronauts.These operations arepart ofESA’s Tranquillity module where it will produce for up ESA’s into space.shipped into oxygenreduce and the of amount water thatbe must newsystem has a ESA designed to recycle carbon dioxide vehicles, tolaunch new thanks crewslarger time, at a from water brought from Earth.As the Station welcomes For years, oxygen theSpace on Station was extracted Each kilogram launchedinto space is very expensive. Recycling for life inspace Life Support Rack willmove Support Life to theEuropean-built

NASA's working on Life Support Rack (NASA) SCIENCE Lumina fibre optic cable (iXblue–P. heiney, 2020) The available stocks. preparemeals their according toneeds and nutritional their The is togoal develop toola that can allow astronauts to to demonstrate2021 in chocolateup a whipping mousse. process? TheFoodSpacefly Processor Station the to will packaging whenyousaveeat can it preciousand the fuelin consumablematerialsgingerbread. such as Whythrow away Some of the biodegradableand blister strips. Station this packing in material that ismade of recyclable The recyclable or evenpackaging edible materials. Eco Pack experimental solutionthatis an is testing reusable, the International Space Station has no space to waste. 15 15 days using newa permeable packaging technology. moving from the shelflife of one week tomore than food theon International Space Station fresher for longer, a total volume ofm 900 the bags are unnecessary takeand up valuable space. With to protect the hardware during launch, but once on board in fire-proof foam-padded nomex bags. Theyare necessary hardware All flown to the InternationalSpace Station travels hardware longeron missions farther from Earth. prepareweessential as is toprotect astronauts and cables cope with long-duration spaceflight. knowledgeThis that willimprove ourunderstanding ofhow fibre optic demonstration features two spools ofkilometre-long fibres the International Space Station. The Lumina technology fibre-optic dosimeter measuring in inside radiation ionising The Preparing for the future Dreams Lumina experiment demonstratewill thereliability of a Freshness PackagingFreshness experiment hardware experiment be sentto will Space the Food Processor hardware will be packed in 3 , of which 388m demonstration tokeep aims 3 is habitable, ishabitable,

SCIENCE setup. Arm arrives and is trained to help inits installation and Thomas is set to be boardon when the European Robotic outsideinside theand InternationalSpace Station. tasksperform automaticallycontrolledbe bothfrom and Fully made-in-Europe, this intelligent robotic arm can saving time and effort during spacewalks. where they can work the on exterior of theSpace Station roboticThetransport can also astronauts arm toposition a spacewalks. alongside astronauts to save effort time and during assembly tasks with largea range of motion, working robotThe 11-m-long has seven joints and can conduct Space Station. ‘walk’ Russianthearound of segment the International The European Robotic Arm WORK SMARTER European RoboticEuropean Arm (ERA)is the first robot that can European Robotic Arm during testing inLeiden, the Netherlands (Dutch Space) SCIENCE spaces submarines. such in as Thetheir system with work. on usefulis for confined all automaticallybackgroundrun the astronautsin while get improved software, the spectroscopy-based facility will to the International Space Station in 2007, and with Considerablypredecessor smallerits than that flew instrumentan that will constantlymonitor airquality. ANITA-2 (Analysing Interferometer for Air)is Ambient cannotbe taken toEarth for analysis. is even more important as missionslast longer samples and malfunction of the air systemis essential, and airmonitoring to any accidentalrelease of harmful contaminants, or health rapid A and well-being. response by the astronauts monitoredis quality Air continuously to assure the crew’s mustrely the on revitalisation air system. thereAs no is window to to open freshen the air, astronauts emanatethe crew. fromand materials, equipment, carcinogenicpoisonous, and irritating, gas compounds breathget a of outdoor air. atmosphere,Intheirclosed Astronauts living theon International Space Station never Safe air

Thomas Pesquet during emergency scenario training for Alpha mission (NASA–R. Markowitz) SCIENCE Bartolomeo. theharsh conditions of space forperiods oflong – via time microorganisms, such bacteria,as lichens, seeds toand but some life forms tocan. ESA isplanning expose Humans cannot survivein space without a spacesuit, pricing. competitive with space for companies,organisationsresearch and institutes view ofEarth deep space,and providing easy access to Bartolomeooffers high-speed a data uniquelink and a Columbus’s youngerbrother. the International Space Station called Bartolomeo, after Europe has newa commercial research facility outside can belaunched to the Space Station. From idea to reality inless than a year, anyone’s experiment tospace outside Commercial access Bartolomeo getting ready for launch (NASA) SCIENCE Ultrasonic tweezers trappedand object (CNES–T. DePrada, 2021) targeted medicine. tweezers could beused to remove kidney stones or deliver applications for the healthcare. experiment in lie Acoustic evaporation to better understand the physics at play. Other ofrisk contamination.toAnotheruse couldbe capture water evenand hazardous materials or biological material without astronauts to investigate other materials, gels liquids and the International Space Station for useby scientists and tweezersis technology a demonstrator that stay will on move and them over obstaclean course.Ultrasonic microgravity in to captureplastic small or glassmarbles evaluateexperiment will how the techniqueused be can object an with great precision. The Ultrasonic tweezers Byobjects. moving beamthe itispossible tosound move An acoustic with them. tweezerultrasound uses to trap withouteverstudyliquids or objects cominginto contact Ultrasonic tweezers promises to move, manipulate and touching without movingobjects Ultrasonic tweezers: SCIENCE Thomas Pesquet storingthe in Space samples Station's freezer (ESA/NASA) “ their test subjects... double science!” of researchers on Earth, but we are also experimented on as We runthe experiments inspace. We are the eyes and hands keep us ticking longer healthier Earth space.and on – in and space. This investigation promises to us help develop ways to thesecrets to why wehow age and we cansafely travel in preserve and them over time. With these, wehope to unravel Thomas take will tofrom salivaDNA samples obtain the crew people to age quicker than others. how understand the clock us works what and some causes cosmicradiation the on ticking of our epigenetic clock tohelp DNA damage to greaterof amounts cosmicradiation. space formonths, theyprotection this lose and are exposed radiation by the atmosphere, but when astronauts live in If so, by how much? OnEarth we are protected from cosmic Is this form of ageing influencedalso by cosmic radiation? precisely epigeneticour called hasbeen with clock. age, and without altering its sequence. This modification changes very Itinvolves modifications of specificpositions DNA of the ageing also butchanges not DNA sequence its or structure. newlyA uncovered parallel mechanism called epigenetic radiationcan accelerate and damagesDNA process. this leadthis canto Cosmic cellstissuesless well. functioning and structuresequences changes and and DNA we our As age, DNA damage LIVE BETTER setsout to determine the effectincreased SCIENCE on theon surface. missions, where astronautsorbit couldoperate in rovers Stationfuture and spacecraft for lunarmartian and improve controlinterfaces the on InternationalSpace tele-operating a robotic arm. The results from Pilote will recreate the feeling ofpressure touchand when A virtualreality headset andhaptic a device can visual feedbackto astronautsoperating when robots. will evaluate newa way ofproviding tactile and theRussian space stationMir, the ContinuingFrench neuroscience experiments started on radiationand can affect astronauts’brain cells. Progeria as well as better how understand weightlessness Thetois better goal geneticunderstand diseasessuch as cultivated in space before returning to Earth for analysis. and ageing.The cell structures areprepared Earthon and cellshuman travel spacein to studybrain cell development Researchers arerapid theusing ageing that occurs when investigatewill how brains age on moleculara level. The Brain cells and neuroscience Inthe cellular domain,the prepare help will for longmissions to the Moon Mars. and biomedical devicethis collectneuroscientific will data that weightlessness ECG isolation.Using small and sensors, headband to study how sleep isinfluenced bylivingin the magnifying glass. The experiment uses novela sleep Dreams experiment will put experiment will astronauts’under sleep Cerebral Ageing Pilote experiment experiment

Pilote experiment training (CNES–T. De Prada, 2020) SCIENCE missions toMars. Moon the and performance – important an aspect to consider longeron theon International Space Station improveand their Exercise technologykeep should astronautsmotivated difficulties to recreate mountain roads. The Immersive Exercise could equipment evolve toinclude gradient some terrestrialin use in fitness centres, the Immersive Paris monuments at its Thomas’sand Already request. of sceneshave been captured, onetrip aroundincluding how on depending fast the astronaut number pedals.A playedback thewithheadset, the on speed changing Earth landscapes. Videos filmed in360° on Earth are an astronaut can pedal in space while riding through reality. Coupled with the Space Station’s exercise bike, to experimentbreak aims monotonythe withvirtual The to lack ofleading motivation. repetitivein the closed unchangingand environment, Theweightlessness. daily workoutbecomequickly can for the loss of bone muscle massand from living in Astronauts exercise two daya hours to compensate virtual reality sport Exercise: Immersive Immersive Exercise Thomas Pesquet during Immersive Exercise training at the European Astronaut Centre (ESA) SPACE STATION and work in space workand in uninterrupted for two decades. The endeavour hastogether brought humankind to live future missions human farther out space. in oflong stays orbitteachin howus tomanage ofrisks the sustain life away from Earth. Results relating to the effects achieved by proofand humankind, that itispossible to TheStation is oneof the greatest works engineering ever of science. Canada one in of the largestthe in history partnerships broad cooperation, uniting Europe, Russia, USA, Japan and The InternationalSpace example ofStation is shining a DESTINATION: INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DID YOUKNOW? • • • • • • The International Space Station • • • • • • required a b se as seen be can flies about about flies is larger than a a than larger is

withtwo toilets and fitness facilities a Jumbojet with the naked eye from most places on Earth Earth on places eye from most naked the with orbits theplanetorbits once has inhabited been to build and maintain minutes 200 space200 missions 400 km , 30 times times faster30 , than theof speed a bright moving star six-bedroom house since 2000 every 90 90 every aboveEarth

“ the simple appliances you have inyour home!” for over two decades, of most longerthan technology ever created, hasbeen working it collection of some of the most advanced of engineering. Not only is itaninternational The International Space Station is amarvel

Roscosmos FITNESS: exercise for two hours per day, six days a week THE HUMAN FACTOR A day in the life SPACE STATION SPACE

FIRST TWO WEEKS: adapt to microgravity and Space Station working routine

Luca Parmitano dedicates some of his free time to taking pictures from the Station’s Cupola, an observation module made in Europe (ESA/NASA) exercises in the space gym to prevent muscle and bone loss during long-duration spaceflight (ESA/NASA) SPACE STATION rests inher free-floating sleeping bag (ESA/NASA) SLEEP eight hours per : eighthours day SOCIAL enjoy: dailyphonecalls withfamily friends and FACTS AND FIGURES • • • • • • • •

Over

stay in space, stayin Cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov holds the record for the longest single months: 6 879 days have stayed the on InternationalSpace Station Astronauts have performed over Cosmonaut has spent recorda to build and maintain the Station 560 people 560 in spacein over fivemissions 437 days typical astronaut stay theStation on Thomas Pesquet contacts amateur radio stations Earthon (ESA/NASA) have tobeen space, of which around on in1994/5 210 spacewalks

250

SPACE STATION has his blood drawn for health and science research in space (ESA/NASA) HEALTH CHECK: participate weeklyin conferences withdoctors WEEKENDS : carry outrelationshousekeeping,public voluntary tasks,spareand plus time AlexanderGerst carriesout cleaning dutiesStationon (ESA/NASA) DRAGON provedtheby first itselflaunching commercial crew. launches Thomas crewand into space has already be used again after The refurbishment. booster that to to Earth booster stage returns first the Meanwhile, launch. after the International Space Station isplanned a day seconds. minutes 8 48 Dockingspeeds in and with the crewof boosted fourbe heightto will orbital Florida, on USA, a Falcon 9rocket standing 70m tall, Launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in torides space. be launch thehis will second the new, in more frequent International Space Station. Designated as Crew-2, ofNASA’s commercial crewprogramme to the ThomastheEuropeanbe first will to flypart as Voyage in a Dragon A NEW FLIGHT TO SPACE KEY DATA KEY Launcher Spacecraft Landing Launch Launch site

Falcon 9 Crew Dragon October 2021 April 2021 Kennedy Space Center, Florida,USA

SpaceX Crew-1 launch (NASA) DRAGON SpaceX Crew Dragon arriving at the International Space Station (NASA) crew need to return to Earth in emergency.an The mission. Alpha spacecraft acts as lifeboat if ever the Crewthe Dragon remain will there for the duration of the module, Harmony the Once with docked port. docking The nose cone ofCrew the Dragon openstoreveal the touchnecessaryusing screens, a first for spaceflight. The automated spacecraft ismonitored and controlled if TheCrew version can transport toup seven astronauts. 2010. to equipment theand InternationalSpace Station since cargo version that SpaceX has using to been ferry supplies The Crew Dragon spacecraft isbased theon uncrewed DRAGON “ these remarkable machines.” Russian Soyuz too. Iget to tryboth privileged to have flown in the trusty new spacecraft. But Iamextra As apilot Iameager to fly in this DRAGON “ toup five more. times The Crew Dragon isreusable, SpaceXand toaims flyit forand recovery. debriefing four out-of-this-world travellers.The astronauts then go calm splashdown,boats and arenearby to welcome the Fourparachutes deploy at the final stages to ensure a splashdown. adaptor ascentduring reentry,and isjettisoned before The nose km/h. cone, 000 27 which protects the docking reenteringofEarth's atmosphere speed around at a hotter than the surface encountered of– theSun when which protects it against the 7000°C – thein Atlantic Ocean. The capsule has heata shield The Crew Dragon will return to Earth with a splashdown Earth for the second three time his with crewmates. Station for around six months,Thomas return will to Afterliving and working on the InternationalSpace Return toEarth of the USA.” Atlantic Ocean, off the coast get to splashdown the in Proxima, while for Alpha we the steppes of Kazakhstan for a touchdown of the Soyuz in two thatwe missionsis had my difference between big A

Space Crew Dragon splashdown (NASA) FUTURE coordination,spatial awarenessmore. and hands-onin training targeting strength, endurance, scientific reasoning and teamwork while participating Students aged between 8 12 yearsand practiceold will and congratulated schoolchildren for the2021 edition. initiative since its launch in2011.Thomas has encouraged fitness and nutrition. CNES and ESA have supported the challenge,international an campaign focusedhealth,on are theirmarks on to trainlike astronauts for the Space trainingback goes toFuture school. space explorers Mission-X: walk to theMoon or onEarth. design a scientific experiment investigateto life in space the Astro Pi computers, Space ‘Mission Lab’ teams will message theStation’s and on humidity Zero’‘Mission While teams work will to display greetinga theschool yeartwo byorbit during joining challenges. opportunity torun their own computerprogrammes in Students over all Europe, to up haveyears 19 old, the with host ofa sensors camerasand theSpace on Station. Pi Astro European Astro Pi Challenge healthya lifestyle through sports. next theamong generation of explorerspromote also and of science, technology,mathematics and engineering down toTheEarth. astronaut encourage will the study Thomasuniversebringwill a of educational activities THE SPACE GENERATION uses two uses credit card-sized computers equipped Mission-X AstroPi gives students the opportunity torun their own computerprogrammes in space (Alasdir Allan/Bailim Light Industries) FUTURE to see differences theBlob’s in shape growth. speed, and comparingresults their to timelapse videoa from space, replicate Students will their theclassrooms,in experiment how the Blob’s behaviour is affected by microgravity. conductwill Space experimentthe on an Station to see transmit knowledge Thomas moulds. to slime like-minded is still tobrain,it able move, feed, organiseitself evenand nor Composed mushroom. of just one cell withoutand a learning and adaptation. Blob is neither plant, nor animal, Physarum polycephalum that, is capable ofbasic forms of investigate the Students aged betweenyears 18 10 prepareand to Space research can be conducted in a school laboratory. Blob progress on socialmedia. togrow also French shareflowersmarigold and their lovedhis Theproject ones. Eklosion invites the public scented cardsmessages for personal Thomas with from International Space Station. Thecapsule Eklosion includes for Thomas symboliseand between the Earth link the and marigold seeds to space toprovide personal companion a poetry, botany Eklosion and Mixing three-dimensional structures. particles. In space, thewaves sound move will to create display acoustic waves vibrationon plates withfine work of Ernst Chladni in space. Chladni figures visually TetrISS Generation ISS: TetrISS Eklosion and is technologya demonstrator that show will the Blob , naturallya occurring slimemould, or willsendFrench Slime mould (CNRS–A. mould Dussutour)Slime questions about life and work in space. work in lifequestions aboutand which children fromselected schools can askthe astronaut A conversation via ARISS usually lasts 12minutes, during Radio theon International Space Station ( byradios with the supplied organisationAmateur overEurope, Thomas will talk to children equipped Station over old-fashioned radio waves. he As flies canmake contact withthe InternationalSpace Not space everything in Radio ishigh-tech. enthusiasts ARISS:Talk to astronauts spacein 360). for a lunar base in a 3Dmodelling tool (Tinkercad or Fusion Moon Camp Challenge dares students toidea their design water,produce foodovercome and other ESA’s challenges. meteorites as well produceas energy, extract orrecycle new infrastructure to protect them from radiation and Astronauts toneed theMoon relyliving on will on Moon Camp Challenge ARISS ).

FUTURE adventure. with Europe as a leading inhumankind’s greatest the sending first Europeans beyond,to Moonthe and These stepsus closer toarebringing our ambition: cooperation withcommercial and partners. of the Moon hand-in-hand with robots, ininternational foreseeambitions exploring humans the polar regions Moving away fromboldmissions, one-shotorbital where Thomas was his studies. intern an during refuelling module Esprit are being built in Cannes, France, module I-Habhabitationthe communications and and forGateway theModules are alreadydevelopment; in than the on InternationalSpace Station. live workand of thousand kilometres farther space outin orbit, a distanthumanoutpost where we canlearn to Mars. will also help to build the Gateway inlunar Service Module at its core, to bridges build Moon will and the NASA’s Moon. spacecraft, Orion with the European International Space Station, ESA is setting its sights on continuing toWhile exploit operations the on Earth. from away to the open door to future explorersliving off theland, astronauts, scientists and engineers are working together Space frontier. is inhospitable harsh, a European ToMoon the Artist’s impression of Orion over the Moon (NASA/ESA/ATG Medialab) An ESA Production 2021 European Space Agency www.esa.int