ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti
is approaching the end of her second stay on the International Space Station.
A former aerospace engineer and fighter pilot,
Samantha made history back in 2015
after spending 199 uninterrupted days in space,
more than any other European astronaut.
Her current mission, Minerva, began on the 27th April 2022.
Samantha was launched in the fourth SpaceX Crew Dragon,
known as Freedom, from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
As mission specialist, she travelled alongside three NASA astronauts
Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins.
The crew docked with the International Space Station less than 16 hours after launch,
and were welcomed by the existing onboard crew
including ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer.
“You guys are a fantastic crew and
you’ve been so patient and generous with your time
during the handover to us in the last few days
we’ll be grateful for every extra day we get with you guys
but we know that you’re heading home soon
and then it will be our responsibility to keep running a tight ship up here.”
Much of Samantha’s time in orbit has been spent conducting
both European and international experiments for researchers on the ground.
Many of these experiments are gathering new insights for healthcare
like understanding how prolonged low-level noise affects hearing,
or assessing how our bodies maintain muscle tone.
Others focus on materials of the future.
Samantha’s work in the Station’s microgravity conditions
has included investigations
into what makes alloy metals so strong,
the behaviour of emulsions,
and the antimicrobial properties of surfaces.
All this knowledge can be translated back to Earth,
improving manufacturing and providing innovations in everything from food production
to hospital sanitisation.
Samantha was also the first astronaut to operate rHEALTH ONE
the most powerful space biomedical analyser to date.
This technology aims to enhance medical monitoring on future long-duration space missions.
During the Minerva mission,
Samantha has held the role of US Orbital Sector Lead.
As such, she’s been responsible for all activities
within the US, European,
Japanese and Canadian modules and segments.
Several cargo vessels have arrived at the Station during her stay
including the 25th resupply mission by SpaceX.
This particular Cargo Dragon arrived on 16th July,
bringing the crew supplies and hardware.
After 34 days, it undocked and returned to Earth,
carrying over 1800kg of cutting-edge science experiments.
On 21st July, Samantha Cristoforetti ventured outside the Station,
becoming the first European woman to spacewalk.
Wearing an Orlan spacesuit, she worked alongside cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev
for just over seven hours,
carrying out a number of maintenance tasks
and setting up the European Robotic Arm.
The pair also released a fleet of nanosatellites into orbit.
Like all her ESA colleagues,
Samantha has dedicated part of her time in space to science outreach,
using her platform to inspire and educate others.
This includes sharing many stunning images and clips of our planet from orbit,
as well as making speeches to events and gatherings around the world.
Not one to settle for just pushing back scientific boundaries,
Samantha has also explored new online territory.
As the first astronaut to make TikTok videos from space,
she has answered a wide array of space questions
from curious members of the public.
In September she became the fifth European International Space Station Commander,
a prestigious role which she’ll hold until her mission ends.
Samantha will soon leave the Station in the SpaceX Crew Dragon,
which will splash down off the coast of Florida.
With two missions behind her,
and roughly a year of spaceflight experience,
Samantha has played a major role in continuing Europe’s presence in orbit
and inspired a whole new generation of future scientists, engineers and astronauts.