First enormous crackling, then silence.
When suddenly, this Thursday at 13:31, a voice responds (finally) in English: “Here ISS, I can hear you very well, over.
"And it is the entire Centrale-Supélec amphitheater in Gif-sur-Yvette, on the Saclay plateau, which sighs with relief: the scheduled link with Thomas Pesquet is working.
The French astronaut responded live from space to questions from 14 students from Albert-Camus College in La Norville and five students from Paris-Saclay University.
Read also VIDEO.
Follow Thomas Pesquet and Shane Kimbrough's spacewalk live
This exceptional exchange could be organized because this Thursday, June 17, the International Space Station (ISS) passed over one of the campuses of the University of Paris-Saclay, allowing radio contact with Thomas Pesquet, barely recovered from an extra-vehicular outing the day before for more than 7 hours.
“A unique opportunity” that the university did not want to miss.
But with a station spinning at a speed of 28,000 km / h (it circles the Earth in 90 minutes), it is in your interest not to miss the firing window: ten minutes from 1:30 pm.
Gif-sur-Yvette.
Contact was established thanks to amateur radios, including ARISS and the F5KEE club in Viry-Chatillon.
Cecile Chevallier
It is the amateur radios ARISS (Amateur radio on International space station) and the F5KEE club of Viry-Chatillon which ensure the technique and the connection with the ISS.
With barely 30 seconds of delay, contact is established.
In order not to waste time, the questions have been prepared and are linked in turn, in perfect diction.
With, each time, the famous “over” to mark the end of each intervention.
To read also "We have just realized a dream": college students from Antony called Thomas Pesquet in space
Lois, from Albert-Camus College in La Norville, asks the first question: “Hello Thomas, here Lois, did you feel the same emotions on the second take-off as on the first, over?
"Hello Lois, listen, it was both more impressive because I knew what to expect, it's like a parachute jump, but I was also more relaxed so I took advantage of it, over.
"
Gif-sur-Yvette.
The connection was audio, but during the dialogue with the middle school and college students, images and videos of Thomas Pesquet in the space station were broadcast.
Cecile Chevallier
Dorian inquires whether Thomas Pesquet has regained his reflexes when returning to the ISS.
“It's like cycling, it takes a few minutes to regain your balance, but then it's off again, over.
Anna wonders "what is most complicated in weightlessness".
"If, for example, you want to open a box of chocolates, everything goes all over the place, on the ground things are made to stay in place thanks to their weight, here in space we don't have that, it's very difficult to control, ”replies Thomas Pesquet.
"We adapt to weightlessness"
Inès remains on the theme of weightlessness to know how it influences the five senses. “Good question Inès, on the touch it does not change much, we move a little more with the feet, like monkeys clinging to trees, tells him Thomas Pesquet. In fact, it is mainly the fluids, which no longer circulate the same in your body, your head is swollen, your nose is a little stuffy, so your sense of smell is reduced, your eyesight can change a little, a lot of changes, we adapt to weightlessness, over. "
The French astronaut also explains to Sarah the experiments he is conducting aboard the ISS: experiments in medicine, biology, with plants, micro earthworms ... He confides to Eliot that what amazes him more from space, “it's infinity”. To Gabriel, who expressed his admiration to him and asked him what advice to give to future candidates, Thomas Pesquet replied: “you have to work well at school, but it's not just that. You have to be interested in a lot of things, sport, travel, speak several languages, be European… Above all, you have to get started. I come from a small village, from a normal family, and I managed to become an astronaut. "
He was also able to reassure Raphaël Haumont, chemist, who prepared with chef Thierry Marx gourmet dishes to be consumed in the resort.
"I really enjoy it," says Thomas Pesquet.
Not every day, but every now and then, over.
"
"What total happiness to hear the voice of Thomas Pesquet"
After 9 minutes and 30 seconds, the connection is cut.
“You have done it like animals, congratulates Hervé Dole, professor and physicist at the Institute of Space Astrophysics at Paris-Saclay University.
Stress gave way to emotion.
What total happiness to hear the voice of Thomas Pesquet.
"
He's not the only one floating on a cloud.
Inès and Anna, two 5th year students from La Norville college, can't believe it.
"We were able to speak to a great French astronaut," smile the young girls.
Not everyone is so lucky.
For us, this is a wonderful reward.
"
Because in their establishment, space is definitely an option.
“In 2016, we took part in the Proxima mission,” explains Laure Harel, professor of mathematics and coordinator of “Space” classes at Albert-Camus college.
The voluntary establishments carried out the scientific experiments at the same time as Thomas Pesquet.
It rained so much that we continued.
"In the" Space "classes, middle school students learn to model in 3D, in particular the ISS, but also to program ...
In addition to a live broadcast on his YouTube channel and that of L'Esprit sorcier (with the famous presenter Fred Courant who hosted this event with Gilles Dawidowicz from the Astronomical Society of France), middle school and high school students from Massy, Arpajon , Grigny and Dourdan were also able to attend discussions, quizzes and presentations by many specialists (such as astronauts Claudie Haigneré and Michel Tognini).
More than 22,000 people have already watched this video dedicated to space.
You can relive the event on YouTube at this address
