A few minutes after takeoff from the Space X capsule with Thomas Pesquet on board, the former astronaut Jean-Jacques Favier, also already gone to space, confided his relief to the microphone of Europe 1. He told Friday memories of his days aboard the Columbia shuttle in 1996.
INTERVIEW
Successful take-off on Friday morning for Thomas Pesquet.
The French astronaut is on board the capsule of the company Space X which is due to reach the International Space Station, from Florida.
With three other astronauts, they are now in orbit.
"It's a relief for the astronauts on board, everything went well. The stress phase linked to the gravity of the launch is behind them, now they are in zero gravity", commented the former astronaut Jean-Jacques Favier Friday noon on Europe 1. "They will have 24 hours of relaxation since the approach (of the space station) is automatic," he explains.
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"Emotions are before you get on the rocket"
In 1996, Jean-Jacques Favier spent 16 days in space, aboard the Columbia shuttle.
He can therefore imagine the emotions that Thomas Pesquet may have felt when taking off, but also his intense concentration.
"Emotions are before you get in the rocket. When you're in your seat, you're very focused. NASA organizes things very well, it keeps you active by asking you questions when they already have the answers. But it serves to keep awake. In my case, I didn't see the moment of launch coming, I was so focused. I heard the engines behind me and I thought it was gone ", he recalls.
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"The fear is behind us"
Such concentration is worked for a long time in training.
"We review disaster scenarios. In my time, we trained on the Challenger scenario, which exploded on takeoff after less than two minutes (in 1986, causing the death of seven astronauts", explains Jean-Jacques Favier. "In training, we realize that it is impossible to come out alive. That is scary. But once we are in a situation, the fear is behind us, we focus on this. we have to do and what awaits us, "he assures us.
See the Earth from space, "a magnificent spectacle"
Jean-Jacques Favier also recalled the emotion he felt when observing the earth from space.
"It's the most beautiful discovery when you go to space. Even if you have been warned by the ancients and even if you have seen a lot of photos or videos, seeing it with your own eyes is something else. . I remember very well that when the captain told us that we could unfasten our seat belts and move around, my first task was to approach the porthole. That's where I saw the earth pass by. . The show was magnificent ", he develops with emotion.
"The astronaut blues exists"
Thomas Pesquet's mission, during which he will be responsible for carrying out around 100 scientific experiments, is to last six months. Then beware of a difficult return to earth, warns Jean-Jacques Favier: "the astronaut's blues exist". He evokes a "kind of frequent depression when returning to earth." Some people experience it very badly, "he assures. Thomas Pesquet still has time to prepare for it.