2023-10-16 05:30:28
A dream that very quickly becomes reality, since Thomas Pesquet takes the stages at high speed: aeronautical engineer, airline pilot at Air France… he has only one goal: to pilot and fly. “Seeing the Earth from above, flying, is something that pleases me enormously”, he said. Until the day he learns that the European Space Agency is recruiting astronauts. After a period of hesitation, and 8,413 registered against him, he will be one of the six European drivers to finally be entered.
And, after seven years of training, the French astronaut will take off from Baikonur. Direction: the ISS. Not without having made his will beforehand and leaving his bank codes to his wife, just in case. “Unfortunately, you have to think about everything. Things go well in most cases, but there are still people who haven’t returned from missions and you have to put your life in order. So, it’s complicated for the loved ones who stay behind and are abandoned. It’s a bit of an abandonment to leave for six months.” he admits.
Once in orbit, he is presented with the spectacle of a lifetime, that of having the Earth at his feet. “Even if we saw it in photos, it’s a bit of a shock. Seeing it in real life is still very special. You also get used to the speed because it’s not just speed. “altitude also means crossing the Atlantic in 10 minutes. It goes very quickly, 28,000 km/h around the Earth, that’s an entire tour in 1h30”, he says. During this mission, Thomas Pesquet will be keen to share his experience with the public, particularly children, via social networks, by posting numerous photos of the planet, taken from the Station’s observation dome. Photos that make him aware of the fragility of our blue planet. “All we have is there. There is nothing else. So, either we use what is there correctly and we manage to do something good so that the situation continues as long as possible, Either it’s going to end badly.”he warns.
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