xv
I do the best I can with Karen’s instructions, but when the pressurization
starts, I completely lose the audio: water got into my ears, and I am completely isolated.
Trying to move as little as possible, to avoid water movements inside the
helmet, I keep giving information about my state of health, repeating that
I am fine and that the pressurization can continue.
Now that we are pressurizing the cabin, I know that in case the water
should increase too much I could always open the helmet: I would probably lose consciousness, but it would still be better than drowning inside
the helmet.
All of a sudden Chris grabs my glove with his, and I give him the universal “ok” sign with mine: the last time he heard me speak was before I went
into the airlock!
The very long minutes of pressurisation passed, and finally, with a relief I
didn’t expect, I saw the inner hatch open and the whole crew there ready
to help. They pull me out, and as soon as they can, Karen unhooks my
helmet and gently lifts it off my head. Fyodor and Pavel immediately pass
me a towel. I thank them without hearing their words because my ears and
my nose will still be full of water for a few minutes.
Space is a frontier, hard and inhospitable, where we are still explorers and
not settlers. The skill of our engineers and the technology we have make
things appear simple but they are not, and sometimes we may forget it.
It’s best not to forget.
Luca Parmitano’s words remind us that while we consider ourselves space
explorers, we are still too often as fragile and helpless as Icarus before the cosmic
void. Space exploration is complex and difficult. The engineering challenges are
tricky, and although reliable systems can be designed, a failure will always be
possible.
In the Greek mythology, the sun that gives light and life to Earth also burned the
wax wings of Icarus, who pushed himself higher and higher into the sky. In the
same way even today, the sun wreaks havoc on humans and their space-based
equipment, presenting numerous problems for long-duration spaceflight.
We have ambitions to travel into space, explore Mars and colonize new worlds
beyond the solar system, but we are still at the stage of Icarus with his fragile wax
wings. And often, the ultimate goal of our efforts is not peaceful. Since ancient
times, humans have explored the planet not simply out of a desire for knowledge,
but above all out of a desire to expand their borders and commercial markets, and
ultimately to assert their political and military superiority.
Space is no exception. It is a realm not simply of scientific curiosity, but above
all of military, political and commercial confrontation. For this reason, everything
we do in space can be considered a geopolitical instrument.
Preface
I do the best I can with Karen’s instructions, but when the pressurization
starts, I completely lose the audio: water got into my ears, and I am completely isolated.
Trying to move as little as possible, to avoid water movements inside the
helmet, I keep giving information about my state of health, repeating that
I am fine and that the pressurization can continue.
Now that we are pressurizing the cabin, I know that in case the water
should increase too much I could always open the helmet: I would probably lose consciousness, but it would still be better than drowning inside
the helmet.
All of a sudden Chris grabs my glove with his, and I give him the universal “ok” sign with mine: the last time he heard me speak was before I went
into the airlock!
The very long minutes of pressurisation passed, and finally, with a relief I
didn’t expect, I saw the inner hatch open and the whole crew there ready
to help. They pull me out, and as soon as they can, Karen unhooks my
helmet and gently lifts it off my head. Fyodor and Pavel immediately pass
me a towel. I thank them without hearing their words because my ears and
my nose will still be full of water for a few minutes.
Space is a frontier, hard and inhospitable, where we are still explorers and
not settlers. The skill of our engineers and the technology we have make
things appear simple but they are not, and sometimes we may forget it.
It’s best not to forget.
Luca Parmitano’s words remind us that while we consider ourselves space
explorers, we are still too often as fragile and helpless as Icarus before the cosmic
void. Space exploration is complex and difficult. The engineering challenges are
tricky, and although reliable systems can be designed, a failure will always be
possible.
In the Greek mythology, the sun that gives light and life to Earth also burned the
wax wings of Icarus, who pushed himself higher and higher into the sky. In the
same way even today, the sun wreaks havoc on humans and their space-based
equipment, presenting numerous problems for long-duration spaceflight.
We have ambitions to travel into space, explore Mars and colonize new worlds
beyond the solar system, but we are still at the stage of Icarus with his fragile wax
wings. And often, the ultimate goal of our efforts is not peaceful. Since ancient
times, humans have explored the planet not simply out of a desire for knowledge,
but above all out of a desire to expand their borders and commercial markets, and
ultimately to assert their political and military superiority.
Space is no exception. It is a realm not simply of scientific curiosity, but above
all of military, political and commercial confrontation. For this reason, everything
we do in space can be considered a geopolitical instrument.
Preface