European Missions to the International Space Station: 2013 to 2019 (Springer Praxis Books)

The European Space Agency has a long history of human spaceflight, working with both NASA and the Soviet/Russian space agencies over the years. This book tells the story of the ESA astronauts who have visited the International Space Station and their contributions to its development and success. For example, ESA built the Columbus science laboratory, as well as the Cupola, the Leonardo PMM and the ATV supply ship. But it is the human endeavor that captures the imagination. From brief visits to six-month expeditions and spacewalking to commanding Earth’s only outpost in space and doing experiments, ESA astronauts – whose personal stories are also told – have played a vital role in the international project. Many of their efforts are documented in photographs in the book. In following up on the missions covered in this author’s earlier title, __In the Footsteps of Columbus__ (2016), this book highlights European missions from the 2013 Volare mission of Luca Parmitano to his 2019 Beyond mission and includes first flights for Alexander Gerst, Samantha Cristoforetti, Andreas Mogensen, Tim Peake, and Thomas Pesquet. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxii Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Earlier European Missions to the ISS (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 2-5 Spacecraft Flown to the ISS (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 6-14 Front Matter ....Pages 15-15 Volare (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 16-56 Blue Dot (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 57-108 Futura (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 109-134 Iriss (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 135-147 Principia (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 148-182 Proxima (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 183-205 Vita (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 206-224 Horizons (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 225-261 Beyond (John O’Sullivan)....Pages 262-269 Back Matter ....Pages 270-334