Back to Europe
Less than 24 hours after his return to Earth, ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland has arrived back in Europe. The Ignis mission ended after a 20-day space journey with the splashdown of the Dragon capsule off the coast of California.
During nearly 320 orbits around Earth, Sławosz completed about 120 hours of telework on the International Space Station and contributed to more than 20 experiments from his orbital office.
Following medical checks on the recovery vessel, Sławosz flew to shore by helicopter and then travelled from the United States to Germany, where dozens of people, including media representatives, gathered to give him a warm welcome at the Cologne Bonn airport.
From launch to the International Space Station through reentry and splashdown phases, spaceflight takes an important toll on the human body. The period immediately after landing is critical, and ESA’s priority is ensuring astronaut safety.
ESA’s thorough return programme is implemented for every astronaut mission. Sławosz’s return was met with stringent medical protocols and constant monitoring. His body is also part of multiple human physiology experiments, so continuous data and sample collection maximises European scientific research.
One of the safety protocols involves providing a full set of medical devices on the flight from the USA to Europe. All these measures ensure there is no exposure to external pathogens or cross-contamination.
“Your presence and support, today and throughout the entire mission, mean the world to me,” Sławosz told the cheering crowd upon his arrival on 16 July.
Ignis was Poland's first mission to the International Space Station, and the second commercial human spaceflight for an ESA project astronaut.
During the Ignis mission, Sławosz took part 13 experiments proposed by Polish companies and institutions and developed in collaboration with ESA, plus five ESA experiments and three for Hungary. These covered human research, materials science, biology, biotechnology, and technology demonstrations.
Even after returning to our planet, the science must go on. “The work never stops. We are doing a whole range of medical exams, checkups and science tests,” he said just a few hours after arriving at Cologne, home to the European Astronaut Centre (EAC).
Scientists are examining his brain, bones, cells, and heart to monitor changes in his body after nearly three weeks in space. The effects of microgravity, cosmic radiation and the challenges of a new environment are an important part of human physiology research experiments.
Doctors are monitoring how his body adjusts to Earth's gravity at the German Aerospace Center’s :envihab facility next to EAC. “During the next few days I will be busy with doctors doing human physiology studies, as well as adapting to life on Earth,” he added.
The ESA medical and fitness teams are helping Sławosz return to normal with a reconditioning programme. This involves exercise routines that gradually increase in difficulty, physiotherapy, massages, and lumbar ultrasounds, since back muscles are particularly fragile after being used much less in weightlessness.
After a few more days of gathering data for Ignis science, he will be ready to return to Poland next week.
The Ignis mission was sponsored by the Polish government and supported by ESA, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MRiT) and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA).
