ESA astronaut André Kuipers has sent the world’s first ever postcard from space using PostNL’s KaartWereld.nl. André Kuipers sent Emma’s card from the International Space Station (ISS), in orbit 400 kilometres above the Earth, to celebrate her eleventh birthday.
Emma with her card from the International Space Station
On the postcard, which features a photo André took himself from the ISS, he wishes Emma a happy birthday. Emma suffers from Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, or MPS VI, a rare chronic degenerative disease.
André sent a photo of himself waving from the Cupola
On the card André used a photo showing himself waving to Emma from the ISS’ Cupola module with a clear view of the Earth. He writes to Emma: “Hello Emma, happy birthday to you. It is a very special feeling to be celebrating your birthday here in space and also very extraordinary to be able to send you the first postcard from space. I have taken a picture for you from the ISS space station, such a beautiful view of our fragile planet. Shall we meet up at ESA in Noordwijk when I’m back on Earth? Greetings from the ISS, André”.
André Kuipers is an ambassador for the WE Foundation, a Dutch organisation that aims to boost awareness of metabolic diseases, such as Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome, and raise funds for much needed research into alternative treatments for this rare disease.
Read André’s blog post:
(NL): Een kaart vanuit de ruimte voor Emma en de WE foundation
(ENG): A postcard from space for Emma and the WE foundation
Read more on the Dutch ESA website (NL): ESA Nederland
Read more on the PromISSe mission website (ENG): www.esa.int/promisse
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