Starman (2020) - full transcript
This is me,
Luca Parmitano, as a child.
Flying has always been my passion.
SICILY, ITALY
I think we all desire what we see.
I grew up with cartoons,
American ones,
but especially Japanese
about space, robots and great
explorations in this accessible universe.
While in the real world,
the first Space Shuttle missions
were being broadcast on TV.
Time!
One of
my earliest memories
is being asked
what I wanted to be when I grew up,
and, as a child, I said: an astronaut.
I said it with the same spirit a child
today says: Superman or Batman.
It was the same idea.
But that idea
of a job that is unique, wonderful,
fun, adventuresome,
has stayed with me all my life.
As years passed,
I became more humble, modest,
but at present I am the only Italian
who has walked in space,
the first to command
the International Space Station.
A child growing up in Sicily,
somewhat the outskirts
of Italy and Europe,
grows up far from
the reality of space technology.
In Sicily there are no structures
that connect you to the aerospace world.
So, I drew away from the idea.
I was brought close to the idea of flying
when I was an adolescent.
That's when the path began taking shape
which, 30 years later, led me to wear
a spacesuit for the first time.
I went to Russia in 2010
for the first time.
I have a special tie to this country.
Russia started training
military personnel in 1960
and has sent 120 cosmonauts into space.
The first man...
and the first woman.
The city of stars...
The first group
of cosmonaut candidates
arrived in Moscow to start training,
but in July 1960
the unit was moved here,
15 miles from Moscow.
A top secret area.
It's a closed military area
surrounded by walls and a gate, it still exists,
and was built for
the Soviet Union Cosmonaut Program
in the late 1950s, early 1960s.
The first selection of cosmonauts
lived and trained here,
among whom Yuri Gagarin, Titov,
Aleksej Leonov and so on.
In the last ten years,
since I became an astronaut,
I've seen continuous change.
I arrived here in the winter of 2010.
There was no supermarket,
there was one Soviet-style shopping mall
with very little to buy.
You had to leave Star City
and go to a nearby city.
It furnishes much more now,
but the original atmosphere of Star City
has almost been lost,
what I remember of my first years,
my travels and training here in Russia.
We're entering via a service gate
because a cosmonaut just re-entered.
The building is in two parts,
one is isolated, for quarantine,
and one for the others living here.
This is the "Prophylactoryum",
another historic building in Star City.
This is the hall on the third floor,
the floor for European astronauts.
All European astronauts
have lived in these rooms,
at various times in their training.
The first time I came here,
nearly ten years ago, I had room 31,
this time I preferred number 34,
because it's closer to the coffee machine
and the bed is more comfortable.
Yuri Gagarin was the first man
in space and he departed alone.
Now there are three of us leaving:
me, Italian and European,
Alexander Skvortsov,
a Russian cosmonaut
and Andrew, called Drew,
an American from NASA.
This strengthens the friendship
and cooperation already among us on Earth.
This statue of Yuri Gagarin
hides a flower behind his back.
Yuri Gagarin is this great hero
in the USSR
in the 1960s he was the first man
to fly in space,
but his nature remained
that of a man on Earth
with a flower symbolizing
the odors, tastes, colors of the Earth
which he saw from space
for the first time.
I never thought
I'd become so long-winded over time.
Andrew, help me out!
Mister, Doctor,
Colonel Andrew Morgan, called Drew,
will be my second-in-command during Expedition 61,
when I take command of the Station.
We've known each other since 2013,
working together during these years,
but, during this last year and a half,
we've trained together
in the United States, Japan, in Europe,
underwater,
hours and hours of work together.
So, when we leave on July 20th,
I think we'll have a really good time.
Yes, I agree.
I should have brought my guitar, man.
Ladies and gentlemen...
# Superman!
La la la la, Superman! #
# Superman!
La la la la, Superman! La la la la, Superman! #
According to Russian tradition,
after the training phase
begins the theoretical phase
which ends with practical exams.
There are two phases to the exams:
the commander and the pilot of the Soyuz
must take individual exams
before a commission
to show they are able
to intervene manually in the phases
of flight with the Soyuz
that are most complex, dangerous.
The first is the approach, the second
is contact with the Station, the docking,
and the third is the re-enter phase.
It is tradition
to sign a large book after the exam,
in Gagarin's office.
Everything here is exactly as it was
on the date and time of his death
on March 27, 1968,
at just 34 years of age.
Let's go. It's our bus.
Before leaving, every astronaut
lays a carnation at the Kremlin wall
where Yuri Gagarin's tomb is.
It's a tradition
and a mandatory gesture.
These days are the last with my family
before our departure.
Then I will enter quarantine
and be able to see them
only through a window,
however, at a distance.
Being a father...
should be a full time job
and for which no training exists.
We start from zero
and the moment our children are born,
we must already be professionals
and take the situation in hand.
There can be no training,
because each child is a different world.
It's normal that distance creates stress.
In my experience, the only way
to relate to our children,
to maintain that relationship,
is open communication from the start,
to help them see that to stand by them,
physical presence isn't necessary.
Loving one's own children means
giving them the certainty
of your being there for them
when they need you,
creating a virtual place
in which to take refuge at anytime.
Sure, it's the hardest thing to do.
My role as a father
is to give them the map,
the means to be able
to realize their dreams.
My task will be to urge them on,
encourage them,
give support, offer a hand,
but not give the direction.
I miss everything about Italy.
I left Sicily at 16 to go to America,
right after that
I entered the Air Force Academy.
I left Italy definitively
in 2007 for France,
then Germany and finally,
the United States.
I feel the distance.
I miss the Sicilian sea
with its scents, its colors,
but I'm the result
of the life choice I made
and so, I don't stand here reflecting
and complaining.
When I go into space, I fly!
And I'm going to America!
The Americans went to the moon,
I want to go to America.
That's what I said as a child
and so it was.
When I first arrived in America,
I was still in high school.
Now my daughters study here and I work,
have worked, at NASA
here in Texas.
Today what we're gonna do
is a quick shakeout run.
- What this will do is keep your body lose.
- Alright. Let's do this.
To be Ironman still winning the title
is fantastic.
For those active in this sport,
the Ironman Triathlon is a unique event.
Hi, everybody!
- How are things?
- Fine. Hot?
Hoof!
I decided to prepare
for Ironman while I was still in orbit, in 2013.
There's physical deterioration after a mission,
and a long rehabilitation period.
I wanted to show it could be done
within a year after returning to Earth.
Who could have guessed
that for sport, I'd have swum 2.4 miles,
biked 112 miles
and ended with a marathon?
Here I calculate the time
for a full race.
I'll describe a typical lunch.
It really is my typical lunch.
I don't know if other athletes do this diet.
I don't think so.
One measure of nuts,
I think they're called Brazil nuts,
pumpkins seeds, two measures.
I hope Italian food-lovers
and international chefs aren't aghast,
but this is my lunch.
My eating habits have changed
through the years and will again.
The launch is one year away,
I'm ending the theoretical part of my training,
now, at last, the practical part begins.
A spacesuit is called an EMU,
Extravehicular Mobility Unit.
It's comprised of about
18 thousand parts.
The outside layer is puncture resistant,
it protects from extreme changes
in temperature, solar radiation
and micrometeorites, that travel
more than 27 miles per hour.
And I'd add:
what a hole without it!
A spacesuit is
the most expensive attire in the world,
it costs about 15 million dollars.
Among the materials used for the outside
are: nylon, neoprene and Gore-Tex.
Underneath we wear a special garment
that is called LCVG,
Liquid Cooling and Venting Garment,
covered in cooling tubes
to the length of about 300 feet.
And we use cooled water
to maintain a constant body temperature
during extra-vehicular activity,
or EVA.
A spacesuit permits
the dispersion of body heat,
the controlling of connections,
and the communications needed
to monitor the state of health
of the astronaut.
We also wear adult absorbent pads
to accumulate urine.
I didn't wear diapers
as a child
but I had to wear them in space
at 42 years of age!
The spacesuit weighs
about 308 pounds here on Earth.
Training has saved my life many times,
both as a pilot and during my second EVA,
when the spacesuit had a failure.
- Action!
- Yes!
Food tastes the same in space,
but it's the way it's eaten
that can be galactic!
It's like a rainbow of colors in here!
Space food is no different
than food on Earth.
To take it into space,
it must be pre-cooked
or ready-to-eat, maybe adding water.
Ready?
- Say it.
- Three... two... one!
Oh!
Well, we guess we do.
Good morning!
NASA trainers call them "Acers",
it's an acronym to indicate
they're both exercisers and trainers
of our physiological recovery.
In space, muscles atrophy
and there are problems of osteoporosis
due to the lack of vitamin D
given the impossibility
of being in the open air.
All astronauts do 2.5 hours
of mandatory physical activity
to avoid muscle complications
caused by microgravity.
There's also
a galactic vision... in all senses.
With less gravity,
the body tends to lengthen.
I think I lengthened almost 2 inches.
Training in the pool
is one of my favorites.
It puts you close to space conditions
while still on Earth.
Dressing seems
very complicated on Earth,
in orbit it is too,
but for different reasons.
Here, it's a problem
of gravity and dimensions.
In orbit it's harder to get inside
because we can't push ourselves
into the spacesuit,
so, in a certain sense, although it's different,
it's realistic for when we're in orbit.
The pool at NASA
is one of the largest in the world.
202 feet long, 101 feet wide
and 40 feet deep.
Under the water is a partial replica
of the International Space Station.
The advantage of working underwater
is that the spacesuit is,
as far as possible, in neutral balance.
This allows us
to get familiar with the spacesuit,
which would normally weigh
hundreds of pounds,
without the exertion
of this weight on you.
What we need to understand
when we work in the pool
is the exertion, frustration
of working in a very strenuous,
pressurized environment
in which movement is limited.
It's a full-scale, 360-degree training,
with similarities and diversities,
but, in general,
it's an extraordinary training.
The only type of training
that teaches the use of a spacesuit.
And you cut out a little bit...
A spacesuit is
totally isolated, pressurized.
The pressurization gives
an atmosphere inside the spacesuit,
when in extra-vehicular activity
or underwater,
so not to be crushed
by the pressure of the water.
From a physical standpoint, it's one
of our most complex training drills
because it's like doing endurance sport activity,
therefore, long duration.
We spend six hours underwater,
more than seven inside the spacesuit,
including pressurization,
dressing and so on.
It's exhausting,
we can't eat,
we have only half a quart of water
and all movement is extremely tiring.
My hands are white, this is due to
the pressure of the spacesuit.
My nails are a bit ruined
because of the pressure of the gloves.
The spacesuit
is adapted to each astronaut,
but it's not tailor-made,
so there are some constrictions.
# La la la la, Superman! #
# La la la la, Superman!
La la la la! #
We begin with the wet suit,
the number-slot belt.
We go over the checklist.
Okay, we're good to go.
The Ironman Triathlon
started in Hawaii.
It was born in Honolulu
as the result of a bet.
Some athletes were chatting
about which sport,
which athlete,
had the greatest endurance.
"Let's have a race
in which we combine all three!"
One of them said: "The one who wins
will be called Ironman".
And now to bed early,
wake-up is before dawn.
At 5:30 I have to be there.
# La la la la, Superman! #
Superman!
It's 6:40.
I'm about to head to the starting area,
my heat starts at 7:15.
I got up at 4:30 for breakfast.
I prepared my emplacement
with my shoes and helmet for the bike,
and my running shoes.
We'll be starting soon.
JAXA, JAPAN
This is JAXA,
the Japanese Space Agency.
- Thanks very much. I'm Maria. - Yeah?
- Yeah! - How are you?
All the astronauts
tasked to the International Space Station
must do a training period here
which varies according to
the type of training necessary
and the level
of professionalism required.
You pass from a basic level, "user",
to a middle level, "operator"
and then to a higher level,
"specialist".
Good point! Yeah, good point.
No doubt, yeah. The entrance.
On my first mission, Volare,
in 2013, I was at the "user" level,
so I came only once,
for about a week.
This time, with Expedition 60-61,
I am at the "operator" level.
This is my first week of training,
there will be another
in the second phase of training,
about six months before departure.
There is a mock-up of "kibo",
in the Japanese lab,
the logistics part and the robot arm.
So this is...
Lazy back then.
It's a solution we have...
In the next few days
I will train and use these elements,
both to resolve emergencies
and to do routine work
in the normal phases of utilization.
The Japanese lab "kibo"
is the largest and most modern module
of the International Space Station.
It is very well-lighted, well-made
and has several unique characteristics.
Besides, I've always loved
Japanese cartoons and robots.
Good morning.
- It's fish.
- Yeah.
The sushi train's begun, time to eat.
To know a culture,
you need to identify
with all the phases of a person's life,
including entertainment.
Kenji explained a tradition
for all those who approach the temple.
You're presenting yourself
before the god or gods
and you must purify your hands and mouth
with the pure water of the fountain.
It's a little like fortune cookies,
by making a small offering,
you can fish a note to foresee the future.
Let's see what Kenji-San
reads on my note.
He told me I must
be careful on my travels,
something regarding flames or fire.
So, I'd better prepare
for a fire emergency on board.
Fear is not weakness,
the opposite, in fear courage is shown.
Fear is a tool that allows us to survive.
Baikonur in Kazakhstan
was the world's first launching site.
BAIKONUR, KAZAKHSTAN
It was built by the Soviet Union
and is now under Russian administration.
It remained secret for years!
From here departed Sputnik,
the first artificial satellite,
on October 4, 1957.
From here departed
the first manned launch, in 1961.
From here departed the first woman
in space, Valentina Tereshkova, in 1963.
From here I departed
and am about to depart again.
From here departed Laika, the first dog
in space, dying after only a few hours.
The cosmodrome observes strict criteria:
4,163 square miles
in the heart of the Kazakh Steppa,
built in a secret, deserted place.
The Baikonur base is equipped
for the departure of space vehicles
both with or without a human crew.
Although there is
no clear distinction
between the atmosphere and outer space,
there is an imaginary line,
called the Kármán line,
at 62 miles from the surface.
Scientists say the Earth's atmosphere
encounters outer space at that point.
At Baikonur, many traditions
and superstitions are respected.
The blessing of the rocket
is one of these.
This town
was built in the desert
as support for the workers
at the Center.
It attained city status only in 1966.
Here Gagarin spent
his last night before going into space.
They say there was security to prevent escape
due to an eventual reconsideration,
but it never happened.
In the next room were doctors
responsible for checking his health.
Here, the first machines began,
older-generation flight systems,
but solid and functional,
improved launch after launch.
My isolation wing.
I'm climbing the stairs
to the area where the astronauts live
during their quarantine.
This is the common area
we've made into a small snack bar.
It's the first time we've used this area.
Here we can relax
when we're not involved
in lessons or training.
These are our rooms, they're brand new,
they were realized
expressly for my expedition,
my crew and I
were the first to occupy them.
This is my room, number 304.
About twenty days ago
I attained the rank of colonel,
but I couldn't have a ceremony
to validate my promotion in rank.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Whoever leaves Earth from here
must first plant a tree.
To date, there have been 227 of us,
even Gagarin did.
One day,
6 hours and 24 minutes till departure.
This is the last good-bye to my family,
I'm behind the window
and they're here waving to me.
- Hi!
- Hi.
The next time I'll be in my spacesuit.
- Hi.
- Hi!
We've very close to departure.
We're ready,
an entirely new adventure is starting.
During the first radio call,
you have to say something more than "hi".
You can even say, "Hi Dad".
That would be good.
The boots are Prada.
These boots are not made for walking.
They are like size 55.
Cause they go on top of the spacesuit.
And we only use them once, from here to the bus
and from the bus to the rocket. And that's it.
So...
Go for it!
Great Luca! Go Luca!
It's a moment
of great emotion for everyone.
Maybe the greatest emotion
is that of a father
who cannot hug his daughters.
I was the first Italian
to walk in space.
To date, I hold the European record:
33 hours and 9 minutes of space walk.
I'm the only one to have done
a concert from space
and to have played records
for a party above Earth.
Under my command there was
the first Arab astronaut in orbit.
Under my command there was
the first space walk made solely by women.
October 18 will remain in history.
I hold the record
for European extra-vehicular activity, six.
Space is the metaphor
of a story of successes and hard work,
the symbol of humanity's desire
to exceed itself.
The world must go on,
it must go beyond.
Commander Parmitano
is an extraordinary person.
Hi, ya all!
Parmitano for Italians
is a wonderful example.
# Clappin' hands,
dancin' people in the stands. #
I'd never heard of
a singing astronaut.
But he kept perfect time.
# I don't get bored,
no I don't get bored... #
There are women you can't dance with.
What about sex in orbit?
Luca Parmitano, as a child.
Flying has always been my passion.
SICILY, ITALY
I think we all desire what we see.
I grew up with cartoons,
American ones,
but especially Japanese
about space, robots and great
explorations in this accessible universe.
While in the real world,
the first Space Shuttle missions
were being broadcast on TV.
Time!
One of
my earliest memories
is being asked
what I wanted to be when I grew up,
and, as a child, I said: an astronaut.
I said it with the same spirit a child
today says: Superman or Batman.
It was the same idea.
But that idea
of a job that is unique, wonderful,
fun, adventuresome,
has stayed with me all my life.
As years passed,
I became more humble, modest,
but at present I am the only Italian
who has walked in space,
the first to command
the International Space Station.
A child growing up in Sicily,
somewhat the outskirts
of Italy and Europe,
grows up far from
the reality of space technology.
In Sicily there are no structures
that connect you to the aerospace world.
So, I drew away from the idea.
I was brought close to the idea of flying
when I was an adolescent.
That's when the path began taking shape
which, 30 years later, led me to wear
a spacesuit for the first time.
I went to Russia in 2010
for the first time.
I have a special tie to this country.
Russia started training
military personnel in 1960
and has sent 120 cosmonauts into space.
The first man...
and the first woman.
The city of stars...
The first group
of cosmonaut candidates
arrived in Moscow to start training,
but in July 1960
the unit was moved here,
15 miles from Moscow.
A top secret area.
It's a closed military area
surrounded by walls and a gate, it still exists,
and was built for
the Soviet Union Cosmonaut Program
in the late 1950s, early 1960s.
The first selection of cosmonauts
lived and trained here,
among whom Yuri Gagarin, Titov,
Aleksej Leonov and so on.
In the last ten years,
since I became an astronaut,
I've seen continuous change.
I arrived here in the winter of 2010.
There was no supermarket,
there was one Soviet-style shopping mall
with very little to buy.
You had to leave Star City
and go to a nearby city.
It furnishes much more now,
but the original atmosphere of Star City
has almost been lost,
what I remember of my first years,
my travels and training here in Russia.
We're entering via a service gate
because a cosmonaut just re-entered.
The building is in two parts,
one is isolated, for quarantine,
and one for the others living here.
This is the "Prophylactoryum",
another historic building in Star City.
This is the hall on the third floor,
the floor for European astronauts.
All European astronauts
have lived in these rooms,
at various times in their training.
The first time I came here,
nearly ten years ago, I had room 31,
this time I preferred number 34,
because it's closer to the coffee machine
and the bed is more comfortable.
Yuri Gagarin was the first man
in space and he departed alone.
Now there are three of us leaving:
me, Italian and European,
Alexander Skvortsov,
a Russian cosmonaut
and Andrew, called Drew,
an American from NASA.
This strengthens the friendship
and cooperation already among us on Earth.
This statue of Yuri Gagarin
hides a flower behind his back.
Yuri Gagarin is this great hero
in the USSR
in the 1960s he was the first man
to fly in space,
but his nature remained
that of a man on Earth
with a flower symbolizing
the odors, tastes, colors of the Earth
which he saw from space
for the first time.
I never thought
I'd become so long-winded over time.
Andrew, help me out!
Mister, Doctor,
Colonel Andrew Morgan, called Drew,
will be my second-in-command during Expedition 61,
when I take command of the Station.
We've known each other since 2013,
working together during these years,
but, during this last year and a half,
we've trained together
in the United States, Japan, in Europe,
underwater,
hours and hours of work together.
So, when we leave on July 20th,
I think we'll have a really good time.
Yes, I agree.
I should have brought my guitar, man.
Ladies and gentlemen...
# Superman!
La la la la, Superman! #
# Superman!
La la la la, Superman! La la la la, Superman! #
According to Russian tradition,
after the training phase
begins the theoretical phase
which ends with practical exams.
There are two phases to the exams:
the commander and the pilot of the Soyuz
must take individual exams
before a commission
to show they are able
to intervene manually in the phases
of flight with the Soyuz
that are most complex, dangerous.
The first is the approach, the second
is contact with the Station, the docking,
and the third is the re-enter phase.
It is tradition
to sign a large book after the exam,
in Gagarin's office.
Everything here is exactly as it was
on the date and time of his death
on March 27, 1968,
at just 34 years of age.
Let's go. It's our bus.
Before leaving, every astronaut
lays a carnation at the Kremlin wall
where Yuri Gagarin's tomb is.
It's a tradition
and a mandatory gesture.
These days are the last with my family
before our departure.
Then I will enter quarantine
and be able to see them
only through a window,
however, at a distance.
Being a father...
should be a full time job
and for which no training exists.
We start from zero
and the moment our children are born,
we must already be professionals
and take the situation in hand.
There can be no training,
because each child is a different world.
It's normal that distance creates stress.
In my experience, the only way
to relate to our children,
to maintain that relationship,
is open communication from the start,
to help them see that to stand by them,
physical presence isn't necessary.
Loving one's own children means
giving them the certainty
of your being there for them
when they need you,
creating a virtual place
in which to take refuge at anytime.
Sure, it's the hardest thing to do.
My role as a father
is to give them the map,
the means to be able
to realize their dreams.
My task will be to urge them on,
encourage them,
give support, offer a hand,
but not give the direction.
I miss everything about Italy.
I left Sicily at 16 to go to America,
right after that
I entered the Air Force Academy.
I left Italy definitively
in 2007 for France,
then Germany and finally,
the United States.
I feel the distance.
I miss the Sicilian sea
with its scents, its colors,
but I'm the result
of the life choice I made
and so, I don't stand here reflecting
and complaining.
When I go into space, I fly!
And I'm going to America!
The Americans went to the moon,
I want to go to America.
That's what I said as a child
and so it was.
When I first arrived in America,
I was still in high school.
Now my daughters study here and I work,
have worked, at NASA
here in Texas.
Today what we're gonna do
is a quick shakeout run.
- What this will do is keep your body lose.
- Alright. Let's do this.
To be Ironman still winning the title
is fantastic.
For those active in this sport,
the Ironman Triathlon is a unique event.
Hi, everybody!
- How are things?
- Fine. Hot?
Hoof!
I decided to prepare
for Ironman while I was still in orbit, in 2013.
There's physical deterioration after a mission,
and a long rehabilitation period.
I wanted to show it could be done
within a year after returning to Earth.
Who could have guessed
that for sport, I'd have swum 2.4 miles,
biked 112 miles
and ended with a marathon?
Here I calculate the time
for a full race.
I'll describe a typical lunch.
It really is my typical lunch.
I don't know if other athletes do this diet.
I don't think so.
One measure of nuts,
I think they're called Brazil nuts,
pumpkins seeds, two measures.
I hope Italian food-lovers
and international chefs aren't aghast,
but this is my lunch.
My eating habits have changed
through the years and will again.
The launch is one year away,
I'm ending the theoretical part of my training,
now, at last, the practical part begins.
A spacesuit is called an EMU,
Extravehicular Mobility Unit.
It's comprised of about
18 thousand parts.
The outside layer is puncture resistant,
it protects from extreme changes
in temperature, solar radiation
and micrometeorites, that travel
more than 27 miles per hour.
And I'd add:
what a hole without it!
A spacesuit is
the most expensive attire in the world,
it costs about 15 million dollars.
Among the materials used for the outside
are: nylon, neoprene and Gore-Tex.
Underneath we wear a special garment
that is called LCVG,
Liquid Cooling and Venting Garment,
covered in cooling tubes
to the length of about 300 feet.
And we use cooled water
to maintain a constant body temperature
during extra-vehicular activity,
or EVA.
A spacesuit permits
the dispersion of body heat,
the controlling of connections,
and the communications needed
to monitor the state of health
of the astronaut.
We also wear adult absorbent pads
to accumulate urine.
I didn't wear diapers
as a child
but I had to wear them in space
at 42 years of age!
The spacesuit weighs
about 308 pounds here on Earth.
Training has saved my life many times,
both as a pilot and during my second EVA,
when the spacesuit had a failure.
- Action!
- Yes!
Food tastes the same in space,
but it's the way it's eaten
that can be galactic!
It's like a rainbow of colors in here!
Space food is no different
than food on Earth.
To take it into space,
it must be pre-cooked
or ready-to-eat, maybe adding water.
Ready?
- Say it.
- Three... two... one!
Oh!
Well, we guess we do.
Good morning!
NASA trainers call them "Acers",
it's an acronym to indicate
they're both exercisers and trainers
of our physiological recovery.
In space, muscles atrophy
and there are problems of osteoporosis
due to the lack of vitamin D
given the impossibility
of being in the open air.
All astronauts do 2.5 hours
of mandatory physical activity
to avoid muscle complications
caused by microgravity.
There's also
a galactic vision... in all senses.
With less gravity,
the body tends to lengthen.
I think I lengthened almost 2 inches.
Training in the pool
is one of my favorites.
It puts you close to space conditions
while still on Earth.
Dressing seems
very complicated on Earth,
in orbit it is too,
but for different reasons.
Here, it's a problem
of gravity and dimensions.
In orbit it's harder to get inside
because we can't push ourselves
into the spacesuit,
so, in a certain sense, although it's different,
it's realistic for when we're in orbit.
The pool at NASA
is one of the largest in the world.
202 feet long, 101 feet wide
and 40 feet deep.
Under the water is a partial replica
of the International Space Station.
The advantage of working underwater
is that the spacesuit is,
as far as possible, in neutral balance.
This allows us
to get familiar with the spacesuit,
which would normally weigh
hundreds of pounds,
without the exertion
of this weight on you.
What we need to understand
when we work in the pool
is the exertion, frustration
of working in a very strenuous,
pressurized environment
in which movement is limited.
It's a full-scale, 360-degree training,
with similarities and diversities,
but, in general,
it's an extraordinary training.
The only type of training
that teaches the use of a spacesuit.
And you cut out a little bit...
A spacesuit is
totally isolated, pressurized.
The pressurization gives
an atmosphere inside the spacesuit,
when in extra-vehicular activity
or underwater,
so not to be crushed
by the pressure of the water.
From a physical standpoint, it's one
of our most complex training drills
because it's like doing endurance sport activity,
therefore, long duration.
We spend six hours underwater,
more than seven inside the spacesuit,
including pressurization,
dressing and so on.
It's exhausting,
we can't eat,
we have only half a quart of water
and all movement is extremely tiring.
My hands are white, this is due to
the pressure of the spacesuit.
My nails are a bit ruined
because of the pressure of the gloves.
The spacesuit
is adapted to each astronaut,
but it's not tailor-made,
so there are some constrictions.
# La la la la, Superman! #
# La la la la, Superman!
La la la la! #
We begin with the wet suit,
the number-slot belt.
We go over the checklist.
Okay, we're good to go.
The Ironman Triathlon
started in Hawaii.
It was born in Honolulu
as the result of a bet.
Some athletes were chatting
about which sport,
which athlete,
had the greatest endurance.
"Let's have a race
in which we combine all three!"
One of them said: "The one who wins
will be called Ironman".
And now to bed early,
wake-up is before dawn.
At 5:30 I have to be there.
# La la la la, Superman! #
Superman!
It's 6:40.
I'm about to head to the starting area,
my heat starts at 7:15.
I got up at 4:30 for breakfast.
I prepared my emplacement
with my shoes and helmet for the bike,
and my running shoes.
We'll be starting soon.
JAXA, JAPAN
This is JAXA,
the Japanese Space Agency.
- Thanks very much. I'm Maria. - Yeah?
- Yeah! - How are you?
All the astronauts
tasked to the International Space Station
must do a training period here
which varies according to
the type of training necessary
and the level
of professionalism required.
You pass from a basic level, "user",
to a middle level, "operator"
and then to a higher level,
"specialist".
Good point! Yeah, good point.
No doubt, yeah. The entrance.
On my first mission, Volare,
in 2013, I was at the "user" level,
so I came only once,
for about a week.
This time, with Expedition 60-61,
I am at the "operator" level.
This is my first week of training,
there will be another
in the second phase of training,
about six months before departure.
There is a mock-up of "kibo",
in the Japanese lab,
the logistics part and the robot arm.
So this is...
Lazy back then.
It's a solution we have...
In the next few days
I will train and use these elements,
both to resolve emergencies
and to do routine work
in the normal phases of utilization.
The Japanese lab "kibo"
is the largest and most modern module
of the International Space Station.
It is very well-lighted, well-made
and has several unique characteristics.
Besides, I've always loved
Japanese cartoons and robots.
Good morning.
- It's fish.
- Yeah.
The sushi train's begun, time to eat.
To know a culture,
you need to identify
with all the phases of a person's life,
including entertainment.
Kenji explained a tradition
for all those who approach the temple.
You're presenting yourself
before the god or gods
and you must purify your hands and mouth
with the pure water of the fountain.
It's a little like fortune cookies,
by making a small offering,
you can fish a note to foresee the future.
Let's see what Kenji-San
reads on my note.
He told me I must
be careful on my travels,
something regarding flames or fire.
So, I'd better prepare
for a fire emergency on board.
Fear is not weakness,
the opposite, in fear courage is shown.
Fear is a tool that allows us to survive.
Baikonur in Kazakhstan
was the world's first launching site.
BAIKONUR, KAZAKHSTAN
It was built by the Soviet Union
and is now under Russian administration.
It remained secret for years!
From here departed Sputnik,
the first artificial satellite,
on October 4, 1957.
From here departed
the first manned launch, in 1961.
From here departed the first woman
in space, Valentina Tereshkova, in 1963.
From here I departed
and am about to depart again.
From here departed Laika, the first dog
in space, dying after only a few hours.
The cosmodrome observes strict criteria:
4,163 square miles
in the heart of the Kazakh Steppa,
built in a secret, deserted place.
The Baikonur base is equipped
for the departure of space vehicles
both with or without a human crew.
Although there is
no clear distinction
between the atmosphere and outer space,
there is an imaginary line,
called the Kármán line,
at 62 miles from the surface.
Scientists say the Earth's atmosphere
encounters outer space at that point.
At Baikonur, many traditions
and superstitions are respected.
The blessing of the rocket
is one of these.
This town
was built in the desert
as support for the workers
at the Center.
It attained city status only in 1966.
Here Gagarin spent
his last night before going into space.
They say there was security to prevent escape
due to an eventual reconsideration,
but it never happened.
In the next room were doctors
responsible for checking his health.
Here, the first machines began,
older-generation flight systems,
but solid and functional,
improved launch after launch.
My isolation wing.
I'm climbing the stairs
to the area where the astronauts live
during their quarantine.
This is the common area
we've made into a small snack bar.
It's the first time we've used this area.
Here we can relax
when we're not involved
in lessons or training.
These are our rooms, they're brand new,
they were realized
expressly for my expedition,
my crew and I
were the first to occupy them.
This is my room, number 304.
About twenty days ago
I attained the rank of colonel,
but I couldn't have a ceremony
to validate my promotion in rank.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
Whoever leaves Earth from here
must first plant a tree.
To date, there have been 227 of us,
even Gagarin did.
One day,
6 hours and 24 minutes till departure.
This is the last good-bye to my family,
I'm behind the window
and they're here waving to me.
- Hi!
- Hi.
The next time I'll be in my spacesuit.
- Hi.
- Hi!
We've very close to departure.
We're ready,
an entirely new adventure is starting.
During the first radio call,
you have to say something more than "hi".
You can even say, "Hi Dad".
That would be good.
The boots are Prada.
These boots are not made for walking.
They are like size 55.
Cause they go on top of the spacesuit.
And we only use them once, from here to the bus
and from the bus to the rocket. And that's it.
So...
Go for it!
Great Luca! Go Luca!
It's a moment
of great emotion for everyone.
Maybe the greatest emotion
is that of a father
who cannot hug his daughters.
I was the first Italian
to walk in space.
To date, I hold the European record:
33 hours and 9 minutes of space walk.
I'm the only one to have done
a concert from space
and to have played records
for a party above Earth.
Under my command there was
the first Arab astronaut in orbit.
Under my command there was
the first space walk made solely by women.
October 18 will remain in history.
I hold the record
for European extra-vehicular activity, six.
Space is the metaphor
of a story of successes and hard work,
the symbol of humanity's desire
to exceed itself.
The world must go on,
it must go beyond.
Commander Parmitano
is an extraordinary person.
Hi, ya all!
Parmitano for Italians
is a wonderful example.
# Clappin' hands,
dancin' people in the stands. #
I'd never heard of
a singing astronaut.
But he kept perfect time.
# I don't get bored,
no I don't get bored... #
There are women you can't dance with.
What about sex in orbit?