About to embark for space, Samantha Cristoforetti says the war in Ukraine did not interfere with the work carried out between cosmonauts and astronauts. According to her, the International Space Station (ISS) is an example of peaceful international cooperation.
While on Earth Russia bombs civilian and military targets in Ukraine, in space European Union cosmonauts and astronauts work side by side. That cooperation should continue when Samantha Cristoforetti takes off for the ISS later this month.
Astronaut from the European Space Agency (ESA), Cristoforetti will go into space with three other crew members on the Minerva mission. In a press conference on Monday (11), she stressed that the terrestrial conflict has not influenced the way astronauts and cosmonauts work together in space, 400 kilometers from Earth.
“On the space station, the current crew is working very well and they are not just colleagues, but good friends on board. As I’ve said many times, when you have a mission to fulfill, you have to focus on what you have in common, not what you have in common. that divides”, highlighted Cristoforetti.
The first Italian astronaut to go into space, she also stressed the importance of the ISS as an example of peaceful international cooperation in difficult times. “It’s a beacon of hope, peace and international understanding. It’s been that way from the beginning and I believe it remains that way to this day,” she said.
Minerva Mission
The launch of the members of the Minerva mission is scheduled for April 21 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida (USA). Commander Kjell Lindgren, Robert Hines and Jessica Watson, all from NASA, are part of Cristoforetti’s team.
In reference to the Roman goddess of wisdom, who was also a warrior and protector of crafts and the arts, the mission’s name was chosen by Cristoforetti in honor of the dexterity of women and men whose hard work made space flight possible. On board, the Italian will command the US Orbital Segment, being responsible for all activities in the American, Japanese and Canadian modules of the station.
This is the second time that Cristoforetti goes to the ISS, where he participated in a mission between 2014 and 2015. “I’m looking forward to having this second experience. There is no longer that overload of impressions and emotions and the whole experience. and enjoy. I’m really looking forward to experiencing this as a seasoned passenger, and no longer a rookie,” she said.
Experiments with microgravity
During the Minerva mission, Cristoforetti will carry out experiments and research in several areas. One of them will analyze the effects of microgravity on ovarian cells and may, in the future, contribute to the treatment of diseases related to the ovaries.
On her previous mission, Cristoforetti became the first astronaut to brew coffee in space. This time, she will take olive oil to the ISS, with which she will experiment on changes in the quality of the oil in space and also, she says, to simply add a “taste of home” to the diet.
A master in mechanical engineering with a specialization in aerospace propulsion and light structures, she will also work with the European robotic arm, which was sent to the ISS last summer. This structure can handle components weighing up to 8,000 kg and 5 millimeters, in addition to being able to be operated inside and outside the station.
Between 2014 and 2015, Cristoforetti was at the station for 200 days and, at the time, broke the female record for staying in space. She also won second place among ESA astronauts for uninterrupted time in space, behind only her Italian colleague Luca Parmitano, who beat her by just one day.
