Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti on Wednesday became the first European to take command of the International Space Station, 400 km above Earth. A relaxed ceremony was broadcast live from space.
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The event gave the outgoing commander of the ISS, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev, an opportunity to allude to the conflict in Ukraine: “Despite the storms on Earth, our international cooperation continues”, he said. said.
This is the second time in space for Samantha Cristoforetti, a 45-year-old engineer and fighter pilot, who left for the ISS on April 27. She holds the record for the longest space stay for a woman on a mission, with a stay of 199 days in orbit, in 2014 and 2015.
fifth wife
The astronaut is the fifth woman, and the first non-American, to take command of the spacecraft since a commander was officially appointed in the year 2000.
During an informal and relaxed ceremony, the current commander, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev, symbolically presented her with a golden key for her assumption of duty, which she will assume until October 10, for her return to Earth. .
The Russian cosmonaut praised the work of the team of ten astronauts from three countries of which he is a part. He described the ISS as a “continuation of the Soyuz-Apollo program, when the relationship between the countries there too was not simple, and when men were found to continue this path which leads to peace, and that makes the war end, everywhere”.
Russian-Western cooperation in the space field is weighed down by the offensive launched by Russia since February 24 against its Ukrainian neighbor.
Towards astronaut parity
The Western sanctions taken against Russia because of this offensive partly affect the Russian aerospace industry and risk having effects on the ISS, some supplies of which could be disrupted.
Samantha Cristoforetti praised the work of her teammates and stressed that they all form “a tiny part of the gigantic team on the ground” which manages the operations of the ISS.
The designation of ISS commanders is a joint decision of the five space agencies involved in the ISS: NASA (USA), Roscosmos (Russia), ESA (Europe), CSA (Canada) and JAXA (Japan).
The corps of European astronauts has seven members, one of whom is a woman. During its latest recruitment campaign, which began in 2021 and is intended to eventually renew the current contingent of astronauts, ESA has committed to an effort of parity between women and men.
Being the captain of the ISS is “like in a boat, there is only one master on board after God”, commented in 2021 the Frenchman Thomas Pesquet, who held this position.
Broad authority
The space station flies 400 km above the Earth autonomously. Orientation maneuvers are performed from the ground. But the commander is responsible for all tasks performed by members of the station.
In the event of an emergency, he has full authority to make decisions, without waiting for instructions from the ground. In the event of fire, depressurization or detection of a toxic atmosphere – the three emergency scenarios defined – it is up to him to ensure that the lives of the crew are saved as a priority.
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