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Combat pilot, mechanical engineer and astronaut. The Italian Samantha Cristoforetti (Milan 1977) is the third European woman to fly into space. He has only gone once but spent 200 days in a row at the International Space Station (ISS). No European has been as long off Earth as she. And as he points out during an interview in Seville, where he participates in the Ministerial Council of the European Space Agency (ESA) in which the investment of countries in the space programs for the coming years is being negotiated, he hopes that he will be assigned another mission soon . "I trust it will be in 2024," he says.

In addition to performing the scientific experiments and the usual tasks, during his stay at the ISS he delighted the fans of the space with videos that show daily life in zero gravity. One of the funniest ones picked up the space hairdressing session made by his NASA colleague Terry Virts. Astronaut Scott Kelly, who coincided with Samantha at the ISS, narrates in his book Resistencia how before embarking on her mission the Italian took Terry Virts to her Houston hairdresser to learn and make sure that she would make a decent haircut in space.

An anecdote that served to explain the precautions they have to take in any space activity, however trivial it may seem. In this case, we must avoid having loose hairs floating through the space modules because they can obstruct the operation of the equipment. As a good Italian, she also released an espresso machine (the Isspresso), specifically designed to make good coffee in space, where she spent a couple of years. They took it, yes, in a plastic bag and with a straw but the taste, according to the astronaut, "was pretty good."

And the food? You took it for a long time ... From 1 to 10, what grade does it give you? An 8. I thought it was fine, although you miss having more fresh produce or dishes fresh from the oven. ESA Director Jan Woerner has spoken today [yesterday] of the role of Europe in future US moon missions, including the presence of European astronauts. Do you see European astronauts likely going to the moon soon? I think he refers mostly to Gateway, the small orbital station that will be built around the Moon. At this time they are not considered missions to the lunar surface to which Europeans are going to go, only Americans, although I am sure that this will be discussed in the future. I think it won't be before the second half of the next decade. At the moment we are trying to collaborate in the construction of Gateway and the Orion spacecraft, the space vehicle that takes astronauts to the Moon.The ESA director has also proposed on other occasions to establish a permanent colony on the Moon in the future. In the training that you follow the astronauts, are you already preparing for that kind of missions? Surely we will not be the astronauts who are active now those who go to the Moon but those of the next generation but there are already some programs on Earth designed to train and practice some aspects of future trips. For example, last year I participated in a course called Pangea to teach astronauts geology, how to collect and conserve samples or interpret the terrain. In summer I was at NEEMO, an underwater base in Florida where we also made trips and pretended to be in a lunar environment, rehearsing the communications and interactions that would be made there. From the psychological point of view, how did it take to spend 200 days outside the Earth? The truth is that I lived it with great serenity and was very comfortable. It was not a stressful period. After all, I knew I was going back after six months and I would lie if I said I had any difficulty. We are also selected among many people who want to live that experience so if it affects you psychologically or you find something heavy it is a sign that they have not been right in the election.It is expected that during the Ministerial Council of Seville the financing of the activities of the International Space Station until 2024. In your opinion, how long could it be used? I think there is a consensus that, from a structural point of view, your life can be extended at least until 2028, although it is also a political decision ESA has a specific program to monitor space debris. During your mission at the ISS, did you have to maneuver for any alert due to the risk of collision with a fragment? A couple of times we received the alert, because it always arrives when there is a certain probability of impact, even if it is very small. Prediction models are not perfect, too. But it is a problem that is going to more because more and more low orbit and satellites are being sent, especially now that many small ones are being launched. Many astronauts say that the Apollo missions to the Moon inspired them. You who are younger, why did you decide to become an astronaut? It was a mixture of things. I was also influenced by what I read or saw on TV about the Apollo missions during my childhood, what they told me at school. I think the spirit of adventure and independence with which I grew up was important. I was born in Milan but I spent my childhood in a mountain town, with little adult supervision, which allowed you to explore without having your parents all the time on, protecting you, as often happens in cities. Why are there so few female astronauts in space? Well, I think there are few in Europe but there are more in the US. During my selection process there was more or less the same proportion of men and women. I think it's hard to make statistics on this. Mattel has made an astronaut doll inspired by you. Yes, although it's not for sale. I thought it was a beautiful project, I think of fathers and mothers who do not want to buy a classic Barbie, and want their daughter to know that she has more options and can devote herself to many things although, of course, she does not end up being an astronaut. It is part of an ESA group that is beginning to collaborate with its Chinese counterparts. What balance does that collaboration do? We are taking small steps, from time to time we make some collaborations because maybe someday we can go to the Chinese space station. We still don't have a concrete plan to fly together but in this way, we are trying to establish a relationship of trust, of mutual understanding, that cannot be improvised over the years.

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