French astronaut Thomas Pesquet returns to Earth on Tuesday after six months spent in the ISS and a return postponed several times.
He participated in nearly 200 experiments, including one focusing on measuring sleep before, during and after a stay in space.
His next mission is not known and could take place in several years, provided he is selected by ESA.
We feasted on his photos taken from space, we cried cocorico when he became captain of the ISS, but that's it: Thomas Pesquet is coming back to Earth.
The French astronaut is due to land on Tuesday off the coast of Mexico, after more than six months in space and a return several times delayed.
What to remember from his time there, and what consequences for him?
20 Minutes
takes stock.
What is the outcome of his six months aboard the ISS?
"Mission accomplished", summarizes Rémi Canton, the project manager of the Alpha mission at CNES. Thomas Pesquet came up with the necessary equipment to carry out 12 experiments and was able to start carrying them out. He was thus able to “validate the sleep band as a measurement tool” to collect data on sleep in space, and installed a radiation dosimeter. Other experiments attempted by the Normand, that of acoustic levitation, consisting in grasping and moving objects without touching them, and a neuroscience experiment on remote piloting, where he was able to adjust certain parameters.
"But science is done over the long term, the astronauts of the following missions will take over."
Thomas Pesquet has also participated in around 200 experiments, some of which were launched aboard his first visit to the ISS.
He also participated in an educational program "in 4,500 schools, reaching 100,000 students", the idea being to take advantage of the notoriety of the astronaut to bring science to institutions "but also to arouse vocations", explains Rémi Canton.
Why was his return to Earth delayed?
“In the nominal scenario, the relief team must arrive three days before,” explains Rémi Canton. But for meteorological reasons, then because of a "slight medical concern on a member of the crew", the launch of the Crew 3 capsule was delayed. Problem, Thomas Pesquet's “return vehicle certification end date” was approaching. The decision was therefore taken to bring him back before he was replaced, among others, by the German Matthias Maurer.
This early return was also delayed. Scheduled for Monday around 1 p.m. French time, the meteorological services have forecast strong swell winds in the Gulf of Mexico, where the capsule must land. ESA has therefore announced a postponement of a few hours. Thomas Pesquet will finally leave the ISS on Monday at 8:05 p.m. It will take about 8:30 to cover the 400 km that separate it from the ground, the capsule continuing to rotate around the Earth "to align itself with the point of arrival", details Rémi Canton. At least that is necessary to slow down gradually, going from "28,000 km / h to 0", thanks to the friction of the atmosphere. “The temperature around the capsule will exceed 1000 ° C, that's why there is a heat shield. »The astronaut will see the flames from his window and will lose communication with the ground for about ten minutes,before the parachutes are triggered for the final phase.
What is the next step in the program for Thomas Pesquet?
The astronaut will be immediately taken care of medically, with blood tests.
Then he will join the European Astronaut Center in Cologne to undergo further experiments for three weeks.
“There is medical monitoring, but he must also repeat all the experiments carried out in space on the ground, in order to have a point of measurement,” explains Rémi Canton.
The objective is in particular to evaluate how the human body readjustes after a stay in space.
Thus, Thomas Pesquet will "sleep another 3 nights with the sleep band, to see if he recovers his sleep as an earthling" measured before the mission.
In the longer term, the astronaut will continue to work for ESA as a ground engineer.
“We spend the majority of our careers on the ground, and we only train for flights once we have been selected for a mission,” recalls the project manager.
No other flight is therefore on the agenda for Thomas Pesquet, even if he is still young enough to return to space.
In a few years, he could even be among the candidates for Gateway, the orbital station around the Moon, where ESA has negotiated 3 places.
"He is experienced, he has already done extra-vehicular outings, was captain", lists Rémi Canton.
The CV is good, but the decision, partly political, will not be taken immediately.
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