THE RECORDS OF ASTRONAUT

THOMAS PESQUET IN SPACE

A record spacewalk

Thomas Pesquet returned to the interior of the International Space Station without incident on Sunday, June 20, 2021, after another spacewalk lasting more than six hours. On this occasion, the French astronaut broke a record.

Never has a French astronaut spent so much time in space! Thomas Pesquet is since Sunday the tricolor record holder of duration in terms of spacewalk, with a total of 26 hours and 15 minutes accumulated on the clock.

A 19-year-old record that was until now held by French astronaut Philippe Perrin, during his only mission in 2002 aboard the International Space Station (ISS). He had then donned his spacesuit three times for a cumulative duration of 19 hours and 31 minutes, in the company of the American astronaut Franklin Chang-Diaz.

Thomas Pesquet carried out this Sunday the fourth extra-vehicular outing (EVA) of his career, the second after that of Wednesday which could only be partially accomplished due to a series of technical incidents.

Installation of a solar panel

For 6 hours and 28 minutes, the tricolor astronaut and his American teammate Shane Kimbrough completed the installation of a first latest generation solar panel, attached by two cables to the Space Station running 400 kilometers above the Earth....

The two "mechanics" then began to install a second. Six in total, these solar panels, called iROSA, are supposed to increase the power generation capacities of the ISS.

Soon another record on his hunting board ?

Philippe Perrin nevertheless retains two other records. Starting with that of the longest spacewalk for a Frenchman, which is still 7 hours and 17 minutes. During his Wednesday, Thomas Pesquet however almost dethroned him ... within two minutes. Following a problem in the transmission of data to check the condition of the suit, his teammate Shane Kimbrough had to return to the Station's airlock and perform a reset, before exiting. Meanwhile, the Frenchman was waiting for him, hanging by his feet on a robotic arm. The mission finally resumed, but a precious hour was lost. It only lasted "only" 7 hours and 15 minutes.

The first to take command of the ISS

Another record is still held by Philippe Perrin: that of the number of spacewalks during a single mission, three in total. NASA is however planning a new spacewalk on June 25 for the duo to complete the installation of the second solar panel. Thomas Pesquet should therefore at least equal him.

To end this new odyssey on a high note, the Normand will also become the first Frenchman to take control of the space laboratory for about a month, towards the end of his six-month mission. “I am incredibly honored ! (...) I am fortunate to be the first Frenchman at the controls of a space vehicle ", rejoiced the former airline pilot of 43 years at the time of the announcement." It is a very special honor ”, also underlined a spokesperson for the European Space Agency (ESA).

New posts on Instagram

The companion of Anne Mottetl posted on Instagram, impressive photos of his exit off the International Space Station and was able to testify of his unique experience.

"It was a real fight"

“It was both a magical experience and a real struggle; I'm not ready to forget this little trick at the end of the robotic arm, holding equipment that is 3 times my weight, the slightest movement causing it to gain inertia ”, he first wrote before to add:

“Visually it was a bit like holding a fridge, hanging up by the feet, head upside down on a steep wall a few kilometers away. A lot of things didn't go as planned, but I'm really proud of the team who fought for solutions ”.

A unique experience

A few moments later, Thomas Pesquet thanked the entire team which was present and which made this operation successful. “Shane equal to himself in composure and professionalism, the team at the control center at the top, the colleagues with the robotic arm or who put us in the spacesuits (and we got out of them).

I might still be on the adrenaline rush, but I don't think we can find better (or we'll have to prove it to me). We will try to take a little rest while waiting for the rest of the operations, ”he wrote.