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Author Archives: Samantha Cristoforetti
Star City Impressions
This is my attempt at giving you a glimpse into the peculiar life in Star City. The idea has come from a request of the friends at the Karemaski Multi Art Lab in Arezzo, Italy. They have sponsored a science … Continue reading
Training for ISS – Part 2
I have been a bit absent from this blog in the last couple of months: my apologies for that. Believe it or not, I was given a pretty long break from formal ISS training – although I have kept my … Continue reading
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Fire!
The International Space Station is a very safe working environment, as I explained elsewhere. However, the fact of being in space does make some situations quite critical and potentially life-threatening, therefore crewmembers practice extensively the proper response to such emergency … Continue reading
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Tagged Astronaut training, emergency, fire, ISS, safety, simulation
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A trip into vacuum
Whistling, of all things. Like my fellow “Shenanigan” Alex right next to me, I’m puckering my lips and trying diligently, but the results are modest. Whistling may be a trivial enough task, but not when the atmosphere in our Orlan … Continue reading
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All I need to know to fly to space I learned in Alaska…
Well, no, not really. I have only just started to tackle the great deal of skills and knowledge I will need to acquire on my journey to the launchpad. Still, the seven days I spent kayaking and camping in Alaska … Continue reading
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Leonardo and the guardian angels
If you ever have a chance to visit NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) – and it’s well worth a visit – you will notice a brightly coloured painting on the wall of the main control room. On the left side … Continue reading
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Tagged Astronaut training, Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Shenanigans
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We expect the best, but prepare for the worse
Most astronauts dream of having the opportunity to perform a spacewalk at least once in their career and I am no exception to that rule. There’s something appealing about the idea of leaving behind the relative safety of the Space … Continue reading
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Tagged Astronaut training, NBL, Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, Shenanigans, spacewalk
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Outdoor staircases and brain gymnastics
I’ve been in Montreal for a week now, staying in the charming neighborhood of Plateau Mount Royal and spending full days of robotics training at the Canadian Space Agency. I haven’t ventured far beyond the commute route so far, except … Continue reading
No molecule shall stand still!
As part of my training on the systems of the International Space Station (ISS) I have passed my ECLSS exam a couple of weeks ago at Johnson Space Center in Houston. ECLSS is the Environmental Control and Life Support System … Continue reading
If you’re working hard, you’re working too hard!
EVA training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) is hard work, especially when you are very inexperienced (like me!) and you still need to learn how not to fight against the suit, how to optimize your movements, how make things … Continue reading
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