• → European Space Agency

      • Space for Europe
      • Space News
      • Space in Images
      • Space in Videos
    • About Us

      • Welcome to ESA
      • DG's News and Views
      • For Member State Delegations
      • Business with ESA
      • ESA Exhibitions
      • ESA Publications
      • Careers at ESA
    • Our Activities

      • Space News
      • Observing the Earth
      • Human Spaceflight
      • Launchers
      • Navigation
      • Space Science
      • Space Engineering
      • Operations
      • Technology
      • Telecommunications & Integrated Applications
    • For Public

    • For Media

      • Media
      • ESA TV
      • Videos for professionals
      • Photos
    • For Educators

    • For Kids

    • ESA

    • Human Spaceflight

    • Astronauts

    • International Space Station

    • Research

    • Education

    • How to become an astronaut
    • European astronauts
    • The European astronaut corps
    • European astronaut charta
    • Astronaut gallery
    • Astronaut biographies

      • Jean-François Clervoy
      • Samantha Cristoforetti
      • Frank De Winne
      • Pedro Duque
      • Léopold Eyharts
      • Christer Fuglesang
      • Alexander Gerst
      • André Kuipers
      • Andreas Mogensen
      • Paolo Nespoli
      • Luca Parmitano
      • Timothy Peake
      • Thomas Pesquet
      • Hans Schlegel
      • Roberto Vittori
    • European astronauts in space
    • European astronauts in new functions
    • Astronaut training

      • Related articles
      • The challenges of astronaut training
      • Basic training
      • Advanced training
      • Increment-specific training
      • Neutral buoyancy EVA training
      • ATV training
    • European Astronaut Centre
    • The European Astronaut Centre
    • Organisation and structure
    • Mission participation and support
    • Getting to EAC
    • Contact us
    • Living in space

      • Living in space
      • Learning to live with the laws of motion
      • Daily life
    • Services
    • Calendar
    • Subscribe
    • RSS feeds

    ESA > Our Activities > Human Spaceflight > Astronauts

    Christer Fuglesang's space diary #3

    Astronaut Christer Fuglesang replaces a faulty TV camera on the exterior of the International Space Station
    14 December 2006

    Soon it is time close ourselves in the airlock again to prepare for the second EVA on flight day 6. It is incredibly good fun and unbelievably busy – it is a pity I do not have time to give all the details. Yesterday’s spacewalk was amazingly cool!

    To float along the outside of the Station, to watch the Earth down below glide past, to see the curved horizon with a thin, blue layer of atmosphere bordering on black space... I need much more time to describe all that is great and all the wonderful emotions that I felt.

    Sometimes it was difficult, for example to fit in the foot-supports out on the corners where my handle did not really fit so well, and to find the right way when darkness fell during a night pass. It was annoying when the extension to the pistol grip tool got loose and disappeared into the darkness, but apart from that I was really pleased with the first spacewalk. I had the experience of my life!

    Fuglesang and Curbeam during first EVA
    Fuglesang and Curbeam during the first spacewalk

    Today we managed to partially retract the solar panels. We succeeded to bring it far enough that the new panels on P4 can rotate and we can continue our main mission. NASA is deciding what will happen with the panels now. This activity took much longer than planned and because I was in the group (Suni, Roman, Joanie, Mike L-A and I) working with this, I have not had much time for anything else.

    Last night after the spacewalk we had a 'party' in the Service Module – all ten of us. International food from the US, Germany, England and of course Sweden. It was the first time I showed the Swedish food I had brought with me. I treated the others to elk sausage and Swedish toffee – much appreciated.

    I managed to call home and speak to Lisa for 10 minutes recently. That was also great.

    Christer

    Rate this

    Views

    Share

    • Currently 0 out of 5 Stars.
    • 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    Rating: 0/5 (0 votes cast)

    Thank you for rating!

    You have already rated this page, you can only rate it once!

    Your rating has been changed, thanks for rating!

    33
    Tweet
    • My mission in space
    • Day 1: Launch
    • Day 2 & 3: Inspection & rendezvous
    • Day 4: Spacewalk 1
    • Day 5: Solar panel
    • Day 6: Spacewalk 2
    • Day 7-9: Crew photos, Spacewalk 3, ALTEA
    • Day 10-11: Undocking
    • Day 12: Landing
    • Countdown updates
    • 30 November 2006
    • 23 November 2006
    • 16 November 2006
    • 9 November 2006
    • 31 October 2006
    • Christers space diary
    • 22 December
    • 21 December
    • 20 December
    • 17 December
    • 15 December
    • 14 December
    • 12 December
    • 11 December

    Connect with us

    • RSS
    • Youtube
    • Twitter
    • Flickr
    • G+
    • Facebook
    • Livestream
    • Subscribe
    • App Store
    • LATEST ARTICLES
    • · Rare merger reveals secrets of gal…
    • · Watching for hazards: ESA opens as…
    • · ESA astronaut Timothy Peake set fo…
    • · Space drives e-mobility
    • · Proba-V opens its eyes
    • FAQ

    • Jobs at ESA

    • Site Map

    • Contacts

    • Terms and conditions