" Thanks to Italy , my country, for the opportunity it offered me to be aboard the Space Station": this is how astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti passing command of the International Space Station (ISS) to his colleague Sergey Prokopyev , of the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
AstroSamantha was in command of the ISS for 15 days : the second shortest command after that of her American colleague Shannon Walker, which lasted just 11 days.
Very crowded ceremony: there are 11 astronauts on the ISS. "There was a Fast and Furious crew rotation process here on board," joked Cristoforetti to his colleagues. "It was a short but intense command. I was lucky to have had this opportunity , it is a pleasure, an honor and a privilege to have shared this experience with you", she added. "Thank you all", then turning to the control center on Earth, NASA and ESA.
Cristoforetti is now preparing to face the long return journey with his colleagues from Crew 4, the Americans Bob Hines, Kjell Lindgren and Jessica Watkins. The hatch of the Crew Dragon Freedom shuttle is scheduled to close today at 11.20 pm Italian time, departure at 1.05 am Italian time on 13 October and landing at 11.41 pm on the same day .
The seven members of Expedition 68 remain on board the Space Station: they are the new commander Prokopiev, who arrived on board on 21 September with the American Francisco Rubio and the Russian Dmitrij Petelin. Next to them the crew of Crew 5 composed of the Americans Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, the Russian Anna Kikina and the Japanese Koichi Wakata.
(Unioneonline / vl)
