Crew members on the International Space Station have always risen above geopolitical tensions on the ground and focused on their work, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet has said.
Former ISS commander Mr Pesquet, 44, who spent six months there last year, was speaking at the France pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on Friday.
He said he believes that collaboration on the ISS will continue, despite the unprecedented times the space sector is facing after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But he also cautioned that current events made people think about the future.
“We are all on the same boat on board the space station. We’re working and there are no tensions or divisions,” Mr Pesquet, who last year became the first European to travel on Elon Musk's SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, said.
“It’s important because it’s safety that is at stake. Of course, current events makes us wonder what the future will be.
“But I always found that the space station is great example to show that people manage to work together, even those who don’t speak the same language, come from different countries and have different histories.”
There are currently seven astronauts in the floating laboratory — four Americans, two Russians and one German. Three more Russian cosmonauts are due to launch to the station on March 18.
The ISS — built upon a partnership between the US, Russia, the European Space Agency, Canada and Japan — has had crews composed of different nationalities throughout its 20-year history.
It had been shielded from political tensions until recently. But in retaliation for western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin suspended scientific co-operation with Germany on the ISS.
However, US space agency Nasa has confirmed that all other operations there remain “normal”.
The EU has placed tough sanctions on Russia, including ones affecting its space programme.
Recently, the ESA suspended the ExoMars mission, which was being built in partnership with Russian space agency Roscosmos. It was scheduled to launch on a Russian rocket this year.
Riding in Crew Dragon
At the Expo, Mr Pesquet also spoke about travelling in the Crew Dragon spacecraft for the first time. He flew in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2016.
“Those are two completely different vehicles. Soyuz is from the 1960s and the Crew Dragon is brand new,” he said.
“But, the physical principles are the same — there’s not so many different ways to send something into space.
“Inside the capsule, it’s the same difference between a new and an old plane. Crew Dragon has big, flat screens, very automated and a very sleek design.”
He said that European astronauts would continue flying in the Dragon because of agreements between the ESA and Nasa.
“It’s kind of a consequence of Nasa having this new capacity to send people up to the space station. We were going to fly on the Crew Dragon anyway, and it’s unrelated to the current events.
“So, you’ll mostly see European astronauts on the Crew Dragon in the future.”
Only Russia, the US and China have the capability to launch astronauts into space.
Europe has always relied on the US and Russia to launch its astronauts, but the ESA is hoping to set goals for its own independent launch programme.
The French pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai — in pictures
Courses%20at%20Istituto%20Marangoni%2C%20Dubai
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUndergraduate%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EInterior%20Design%3B%20Product%20Design%3B%20Visual%20Design%3B%20Fashion%20Design%20%26amp%3B%20Accessories%3B%20Fashion%20Styling%20%26amp%3B%20Creative%20Direction%3B%20Fashion%20Business%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Fashion%3B%20Foundation%20in%20Design%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EProfessional%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20e-Commerce%20%26amp%3B%20Digital%20Marketing%3B%20Fashion%20Entrepreneurship%3B%20Fashion%20Luxury%20Retail%20and%20Visual%20Merchandising%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EShort%20courses%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EFashion%20design%3B%20Fashion%20Image%20%26amp%3B%20Styling%3B%20Fashion%20Trend%20Forecasting%3B%20Interior%20Design%3B%20Digital%20Art%20in%20Fashion%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20is%20at%20%3Ca%20href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istitutomarangoni.com%2Fen%3Futm_source%3DLocal%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_campaign%3Dgmb%26utm_content%3Ddubai%22%20target%3D%22_self%22%3Ewww.istitutomarangoni.com%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
UAE%20FIXTURES
%3Cp%3EWednesday%2019%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3EFriday%2021%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Hong%20Kong%3Cbr%3ESunday%2023%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Singapore%3Cbr%3EWednesday%2026%20April%20%E2%80%93%20UAE%20v%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3ESaturday%2029%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Semi-finals%3Cbr%3ESunday%2030%20April%20%E2%80%93%20Third%20position%20match%3Cbr%3EMonday%201%20May%20%E2%80%93%20Final%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
