Samantha Cristoforetti inflight call with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi

Date: Wed, Apr 08, 2015 | 13:15 - 13:35 GMT | 15:15 - 15:35 CEST

Type: ESA TV Live

Format: 16:9

On Wednesday 08 April 2015 at 1515 Rome time, International Space Station Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti will talk from orbit with the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the Palazzo Chigi in Rome.

Selected as an astronaut in May 2009, Samantha joined ESA in September 2009 and completed basic astronaut training in November 2010. In July 2012 she was assigned to an ASI (Italian Space Agency) mission aboard the ISS and launched on a Soyuz spacecraft from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in November 2014. This is the second long-duration ASI mission and the eighth long-duration mission for an ESA astronaut.

As well as carrying out an extremely busy science programme in Europe’s Columbus laboratory, Samantha has been extremely busy with the final ATV-5 cargo vehicle and the new SpaceX and Orbital vehicles as well as supporting multiple space-walks. She will return to Earth mid-May 2015.

During the inflight call; Mr Renzi will be accompanied by ASI President Roberto Battiston and Chief of the Italian Airforce Generale Pasquale Preziosa.

For event enquiries please contact:
 
ASI : Pina Piccirilli: +39 366 6449857 - 335.8157224
ESA : Franca Morgia: +39 3358356687

More information at: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/Samantha_Cristoforetti

Satellite Parameters:

1315-1335 GMT / 1515-1535 CET (satellite up 1255/1455)

Eutelsat 12WestA (ex AB1) at 12.5degW

Transponder F3 Channel B (9MHz)

D/l freq: 12571.25 MHz Polarisation X

Signal: HD 1080i/50 MPEG4 4:2:0 (H264) clear, SR = 7.500 Ms/s, FEC = 5/6.

Modulation: DVB-S2/8PSK audio PIDs open/mono

Data rate: 20.094 Mb/s S/N for operation: 13.5 dB

For transmission enquiries please contact the ESA TV producer Chris Courtenay Taylor + 44 7774 275 951.