He wouldn’t celebrate it with great fanfare, with petit fours and champagne. No, just a little bell, a legacy from the first to hold office in 2000, will commemorate Monday, October 4, coronation Thomas Bisket As commander of the International Space Station.
A formality inside the International Space Station because he will be the 53rd astronaut to hold that title. But for national pride, it is an important day because the astronaut of Normandy origin is the first French to reach this job, and only the fourth European.
#MissionAlpha very happy to announce Tweet embed : I must become the fourth European commander of the International Space Station, at the end of my mission. I am proud to receive this honor! pic.twitter.com/1EOkrZkQn7
– Thomas Bisquet (@Thom_astro) March 16, 2021
At 9:20 p.m. Paris time, he will succeed Japan’s Akihiko Hoshied, who made the voyage aboard the Crew Dragon last April. This is not the first time that power has been handed between the two men, as the latter symbolically handed the Olympic baton in the space between Tokyo and Paris last August.
With Aki, we’re a little ahead of the curve #Closing ceremony While waiting for the real delivery #Tokyo 2020 -> #Paris 2024 In 🌏 in a few hours
🇯🇵🤜🤛🇫🇷
with the @ Tokyo2020 Tweet embed Expires today and the next day # Olympic Games to be @Paris2024And Tweet embed And held a party pic.twitter.com/7dpYBr4Xwu– Thomas Bisquet (@Thom_astro) August 8, 2021
Chief on board in case of emergency
This new mission is not only symbolic. If, on Earth, the flight director “remains the ‘chief’, who directs all operations,” refers to the CNES, the captain must ensure that all ISS members are operational. He must also ensure that the confined world of the station remains a quiet place where harmony is high between the various astronauts of different nationalities.
If there should be a fire or a problem, Thomas Bisquet would have to put on his boss’s hat and direct operations, respecting a very specific order: saving the crew, the International Space Station, and then the mission. “Control of the International Space Station. It is a responsibility. A great responsibility and pride!” says Frank de Winn, the first European astronaut to take up this role in 2009.
A new mission for the French who will be able to discuss their feelings the next day with 200 students, from primary to high school, gathered at the Cité de l’Espace, before returning to Earth in a few weeks.
