Spacefan (and ESA colleague) Nadjejda Vicente has travelled to Baikonur to see Luca’s launch on her own budget. Below is her impressions of the trip so far. Scroll down for a picture gallery:

It is difficult to give you a summary of what it is to be here. Baikonur is a quiet city of around 39,000 inhabitants. Most of them are Kazakh. Everywhere you go you can find space art on the walls of the buildings, posters, statues and real rockets crowning the main avenues. Kids build amazing rockets at the International Space School and you can find some souvenirs in the local market, but apart from that their everyday life revolves around a strong family culture and work. People in Baikonur are calm and approachable. They look at the tourists with curiosity, but do not intrude. When asked how many launches they have seen, they smile and reply with a precise number. They make it sound as an anecdote in their lives.

Dozens of space tourists from all over the world are gathering here to see the launch. There are also TV crews, a Finish film director producing a documentary about motherhood featuring NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and a Japanese crew following backup crewmember Koichi Wakata.

I talked to one of Karen’s best friends coming from the States here to see the launch, and Luca’s friends are also around. This is an emotional trip for all of them. His friends confessed to be proud and excited to see their friend going to space. They had the chance to meet him this morning with a glass between them. Luca thanked them for the big effort they have made to come all this way. He said something like: “You have been part of my career to space, and I’m happy to have you next to me in this moment of my life”.

Romain Charels, from Mars500, is another familiar face in the picture. He is exploring Baikonur and absorbing every detail of the launch ritual. He seems to retain everything, enjoying every moment. Frank de Winne is also here, he seems to know everybody in this far corner of the Earth. A large group of ESA colleagues are enjoying an intensive space tour of the city and the cosmodrome.

Above all, there is a very good vibe. Everybody is happy to be here. There are no doubts that shadow the countdown. The spirits are high and the weather is nicely hot, over 30 degrees. Eyes lit up when the launch is mentioned.

Confidence reigns. Respect for the ones who are making this possible, too. A rumor has it that we will have clear skies, no wind, a full moon and, just four minutes before the launch, we will be able to see the International Space Station passing by!

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