Astronaut Michael E.
Lopez-Alegria, Expedition 14 commander and NASA space station science officer,
participated in the final of three sessions of extravehicular activity (EVA) in
nine days, Feb. 8, 2007, as construction continued on the International Space
Station.
Dr. Iain Corness
Space photos courtesy of NASA
American astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria splashed down in NaJomtien for the
launching of Heliotrope, a luxury yacht built at the Bakri Cono shipyards in the
Ocean Marina complex.
Michael is a member of the Bakri Cono technical advisory committee and the
launch was the culmination of years of work by the Bakri Cono management group.
Michael was a Navy pilot and graduated to astronaut training, finally ending up
recording four space missions to the International Space Station (ISS), 10 space
walks and the second longest stay in space, being over six months.
In an exclusive interview for PMTV he explained the rigorous training given to
astronauts, which included psychological assessment. With astronauts subjected
to stresses which us earthlings can only imagine, a strong psyche is required.
He described the feeling of weightlessness living in the ISS and its
micro-gravity. To maintain fitness on a walking road, the astronauts have to
fasten themselves to the equipment with bungee cords. Likewise, when sleeping,
the sleeping bag can move in any direction and it takes time to get used to the
fact you are not lying on something solid.
Michael
E. Lopez-Alegria
When cooped up in the ISS with sometimes just one other inhabitant, I asked how
did he know he would get along with the other person, who might be Russian, for
example. Michael, who actually seemed very easy-going, said that he had never
had that problem, and always got along well with the others. He did point out
that the ISS is much larger than most people imagine, being the size of a five
bedroom house. Sometimes he could go all day and not even see the other
astronauts.
The working week in the ISS is five and a half days, and the work is quite
wearing at times. During space walks, the astronauts tether themselves to the
ISS, to avoid floating away, though they have propulsion backpacks which can be
used in an emergency to get them back to the safety of the ISS.
With the American space shuttles now museum exhibits, Michael was transported up
and back in Russian Soyuz rockets. The flights up were fairly good, but the
descents and re-entry could be somewhat exciting!
He felt that the real heroes in space were the early pioneers who landed on the
moon, as the known level of technology was very much less than today.
These days, he has left NASA and flies a desk, admitting that it is a completely
different lifestyle, and one that he obviously is trying to come to terms with.
After orbiting the earth at 28,000 km/h, life on earth is certainly much slower!
Dr Iain Corness speaks to Michael
in an exclusive interview for PMTV.
Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, trims
commander Michael E. Lopez-Alegria’s hair in the Unity node of the International
Space Station. Tyurin used hair clippers fashioned with a vacuum device to
garner freshly cut hair.
Astronauts Sunita Williams (L) and
Michael Lopez-Algeria are shown during a spacewalk on the International Space
Station, Jan. 31, 2007.
Backdropped by a cloud-covered
Earth, Space Shuttle Discovery is featured in this image while docked with the
International Space Station.
Bakri Cono Shipyard Director of
International Sales Philippe Guenat (left) and MD Bernard Lamprect (right)
proudly welcome former astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria (2nd left) and Eco
Adventurer Raphael Domjan (2nd right) two distinguished members of the Bakri
Cono technical advisory board at the launch of the Heliotrope, the 1st solar
assisted luxury catamaran yacht in the world.
Wearing Santa Claus hats,
cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin (left), Expedition 14 flight engineer representing
Russia’s Federal Space Agency; astronaut Michael E. Lopez-Alegria, commander and
NASA space station science officer; and astronaut Sunita L. Williams, flight
engineer, pose for a holiday photo in the Zvezda Service Module of the
International Space Station.
Astronaut Michael E.
Lopez-Alegria uses a digital still camera during the final of three sessions of
extravehicular activity (EVA).
The International Space Station
above the western Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau.
