The European Parliament has gone from Strasbourg to space as EP president Roberta Metsola had a conversation with the first female commander of the International Space Station Samantha Cristoforetti. 

Floating in a vessel with the blue sea and yellow stars of the flag of the European Union displayed proudly behind her, Cristoforeti spoke to Metsola about everything from her day at the station to the projects the ISS is currently developing. 

Suspended in mid-air thanks to zero gravity, the Italian astronaut promised Metsola she would gift her the flag hanging behind her in the space station when she next met her at the European Parliament. 

“Young people sometimes dream of becoming famous footballers, actors or musicians, but becoming an ISS commander must be mindblowing,” Metsola told her. 

Having trained as an engineer and going on to serve as a combat pilot in the Italian military, Cristoforetti said she was always inspired by “the beauty and mystery of the night sky” and even as a child had dreams of being able to fly to space. 

Of the projects currently in orbit with her on the ISS, Cristoforetti mentioned that she had recently participated in research with a team who are studying the stability of thoughts and emotions in microgravity. 

Cristoforetti and Metsola spoke on a variety of topics, including ongoing experiments on the ISS. Photo: European Parliament

Congratulating her on the achievement, Metsola said that it was refreshing to see a woman taking up such a prestigious post. 

“If I was a young girl looking at you today, it would inspire me to dream about embarking on this amazing path. To see that the path you embarked on as a young girl and that today you are in such an incredible place is such an amazing example to give to young girls all over the world.” 

Metsola also asked the astronaut for her advice on what politicians should do to gain a better understanding of space and how they should factor it into their decision-making process. 

“We have transitioned from a perception of space that is separate to us into something that permeates our societies, industries, economies, our ways of living together and our ability to tackle big global crises,” Cristoforetti replied. 

“Every modern solution is enabled by technology and scientific understanding, but specifically by space infrastructure, so making sure we continue to develop that infrastructure is making sure we improve our ability to exploit that infrastructure to deliver data and solutions to the benefit of all of our citizens.”

“It is important for leaders and elected officials to have a deep understanding of the potential of space.”