Monthly Archives: October 2013

Mission-X: jump for the Moon

Posted on October 31, 2013 by raffaella

Luca will be leaving the Station on 10 November and will pass over Mission-X duties to  NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins.  Next year’s Mission-X: Train Like an Astronaut challenge is set to take off with the largest community of future space … Continue reading →

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Guide to the International Space Station for the occasional visitor

Posted on October 30, 2013 by raffaella

Last week I spoke to students from three universities in Italy, Germany and Israel. I liked their questions a lot because they allowed me to be playful in my answers, I tried to get them to leave with more questions … Continue reading →

Posted in Luca blog | Tagged , , , , , , | 25 Comments

A day on the International Space Station

Posted on October 23, 2013 by raffaella

A day on the International Space Station The first of two alarms sounds at 5:50 GMT, like every morning, Mondays to Fridays. It shakes me from dreams that I never remember. Still sleepy I stretch my arms, which were folded … Continue reading →

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Many changes before Luca returns

Posted on October 21, 2013 by julien

ESA mission director Roland Luettgens keeps us up to date on Luca’s Volare mission: There is an incredible period of activity around the International Space Station these days with many things happening onboard as well as on ground over the … Continue reading →

Posted in ATV-4, Col-CC, Mission updates, Operations | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Luca Parmitano talks to finalists of the Volare Space Robotics Challenge

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Daniel

From 400 km above the surface of Earth, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano talked with high-school students during the finals of the Volare Space Robotics Challenge. Seven teams entered remote-controlled robots that battled on a mock-up of the International Space Station. … Continue reading →

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Every picture tells a story

Posted on October 17, 2013 by raffaella

Some may remember the ending of a famous song from many years ago that repeated insistently that every picture tells a story. I am always impressed and excited looking at photos of nature, science and aviation and the distinct story … Continue reading →

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Cygnus

Posted on October 10, 2013 by julien

It is dark outside, an impenetrable blackness surrounds us, so we are probably flying over an ocean as. I look around the Cupola and realise that the lights around me and the surreal blue twilight outside would probably drown-out the faint … Continue reading →

Posted in Luca blog, Operations | Tagged , , , , | 47 Comments

Concordia

Posted on October 4, 2013 by raffaella

The International Space Station’s orbit allows us to see most of Earth’s surface, but an unavoidable line inhibits our view beyond the horizon. Among the areas that we will never see from our privileged point of view are the Earth’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Concordia, Luca blog | Tagged , , | 38 Comments

Shared experiences of isolation in cold space

Posted on October 4, 2013 by julien

Antonio Litterio and the Concordia crew talked with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano on the International Space Station last week. The Concordia crew, surrounded by 600 km of white space share their experiences with Luca, surrounded by infinite black space. As … Continue reading →

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Special visitor at Col-CC – Alan Parsons

Posted on October 4, 2013 by julien

The Columbus Control Centre had a special visitor today, musician Alan Parsons. During a concert in Rome he dedicated one of his songs to Luca and we were honoured to receive him today at Col-CC. It’s really nice to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Col-CC | Tagged , , | 1 Comment