Astronauts Prepare for Launch to the Space Station
21 November 2014
This Sunday three astronauts will blast off to the International Space Station to begin a five-month mission in orbit around the Earth. One of the lucky three is ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti.
Samantha was invited to join the mission dubbed ‘Futura’ two years ago. Since then she’s been putting her body and mind to the test as she completes the necessary training.
The training covers all aspects of life aboard the Space Station, including how to steer the Soyuz spacecraft and learning to perform life-saving CPR.
Some of Samantha’s most vital training taught her how to control the station’s robotic arm (which is used to move equipment and conduct repairs) and of course, how to survive an emergency situation in space!
After two long years of preparation, Samantha’s last hurdle was a two-week quarantine. An unfortunate necessity to make sure she doesn’t take any unwanted passengers along with her.
Before takeoff Samantha will travel to a remote region in Central Asia along with two other astronauts, Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts. Together the three will board the Soyuz spacecraft ready to begin the nail-biting 6-hour flight to the Space Station.
During her time aboard the Space Station, Samantha will run many science experiments that can only be done in space, many of them based around healthy eating.
You can watch the launch on Sunday evening from the ESA website. Just visit www.esa.int/ at 8:59pm GMT.
Cool Fact: Before becoming an astronaut, Samantha was a fighter pilot for the Italian Air Force. With over 500 hours already spent in the air, she’s no stranger to being off ground!
