THEto NASA has made it official yesterday in Houston the choice of Luca Parmitano as a pilot of the Artemis III space missiondeparting in mid-2027. The Italian ESA astronaut will fly together with three American colleagues to test docking maneuvers in Earth orbit, a fundamental step for the future Moon landing. However, behind the technical announcement hide a curious anecdote on the train and the sincere emotion of a father.
Luca Parmitano pilot of Artemis III: the announcement? On the train
The exact moment where life changes can coincide with a banal journey on the tracks. Luca Parmitano yes found himself on board a train, surrounded by completely unaware passengerswhen his direct superior contacted him to communicate NASA’s decision. The disbelief was such that it pushed the astronaut to ask to repeat the entire sentence to be sure of the content.
The colonel himself recounted the episode with great irony during the conference: «I was surrounded by people, I knew I couldn’t say anything out loud so I was left speechless».
The obligation of confidentiality imposed absolute silence inside the carriage, forcing the pilot to momentarily repress the desire to rejoice or share the immense joy with those sitting next to him.
The emotion in Houston and the dedication to Maia, Sara and Marta
The official presentation of the Artemis III crew experienced moments of great emotion. In front of the world leaders of aerospace agencies, “AstroLuca” interrupted the thread of the institutional discourse to look directly at the audience of the Johnson Space Center.
The astronaut addressed a very profound thought to his wife Marta and his two daughters, Maia and Sara. The astronaut wanted to use touching words to thank them for their constant support: “You are the energy that fuels my soul and your love is the spark.”
The family members present in the audience thus became the symbol of the most intimate terrestrial support, essential to face the complex mission that will keep the Italian away from Earth for about two weeks.
What is the Artemis III mission and what will Luca Parmitano’s role be
There Artemis III missionwhich is scheduled to launch in mid-2027represents NASA’s crucial point in preparing the definitive return of humans to the Moon. Initially designed for the moon landing, the mission has been remodeled and will take place entirely inlow earth orbit for about two weeks. In its key role as pilotLuca Parmitano will have the task of leading the complex tests of docking and rendezvous between NASA’s Orion capsule and the landing modules of SpaceX and Blue Originalso testing first-hand the innovative spacesuits created in collaboration with Prada.
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