Samantha Cristoforetti is in quarantine. However, her smile and her eyes are the same bright ones as always. In fact, the 14 days of “bubble” in the NASA center in Houston are simply those required of every astronaut before a space mission. Her rocket leaves on April 21 for the Space Station, weather permitting (it could be delayed for a few days). “In order not to bring infections to the Station, we must remain isolated for two weeks, only meeting our families or the technicians preparing the launch. No cinema, no restaurant ”she explains, and we all know how it works.
The second mission of 44-year-old Samantha, after that of 2014, is called Minerva, “as the goddess of wisdom, whose help we wish to help, especially today in international relations”. It is not excluded that the astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA), who has just told the details of the launch in a press conference from Houston, is called to face a spacewalk with one of the three Russian colleagues who are currently on board the Railway station.
“It’s true, I trained for this eventuality using the Russian suit,” she says. “But I would like to reassure everyone that on the station we are all good friends, as well as colleagues. I am sure we will work well together even if there is a conflict on Earth. We have a responsibility to carry out the work on the Station and will focus on what unites us, not what divides us. I believe that our work is a beacon of hope for understanding between countries ”.
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Cristoforetti’s return is scheduled for September. “This time, compared to 2014, I will bring small toys to entertain my children during the weekly connection we are allowed” she recalls. “In addition to many photos of friends and family”. On board there will be, as always, a lot of work on scientific experiments developed by scientists from all over the world, which exploit the microgravity of the Station. Samantha recalls a couple of them: “One studies antioxidant nanoparticles to slow down the degeneration of neurons, which in an environment such as space is a major problem. Another analyzes the function of some cells of the ovaries, to understand how their function is preserved in space “.