A journey along the Italian peninsula aboard Trenitalia’s Frecciarossa:
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut and Italian Air Force Captain Samantha Cristoforetti, the protagonist of the mission FUTURE Italian Space Agency (ASI), will start her post flight tour accompanied by her fellow Expedition 42/43 crewmembers, American astronaut Terry Virts from NASA and Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov from Roscosmos.
Thanks to the collaboration of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, the "Post Flight Tour" vector of the three astronauts who returned to Earth on June 11, will take them throughout Italy to talk about their 200 days in space; a prefect combination: the high-speed train and the high efficiency of space technology Made in Italy.
From North to South, the crew will cross Italy along an axis that ideally combines the places corresponding to Air Force Captain Cristoforetti’s personal and professional lives: from Trento, the astronauts adopted hometown, to Milan, her actual place of birth and hometown.
Then it’s on to Bologna, Rome and at last, the final leg of her journey ends in Napoli (Naples), the place where Samantha, the National heroine, received her flight training.
The journey takes the form of a real campaign and popularization of information, aimed at familiarizing the general public regarding the Italian commitment aboard the International Space Station, on which Captain Samantha Cristoforetti had lived for more than 6 months.
She will discuss the characteristic elements of the Futura Mission, the scientific objectives of human space flight, and the importance of space for Italy and for Europe.
This program includes a series of events open to the public and dedicated to students, educational meetings and participation in conferences where the astronauts talk about their experiences, life and scientific activities on the International Space Station.
Trento, 4-5 October:
Saturday afternoon a meeting in Trento dedicated to the press immediately upon the astronauts’ arrival in the city.
Monday at 6:30 p.m. there is going to be a public lecture at the MUSE, where Samantha will describe, in person, her experiences aboard the International Space Station. T
he protagonists of this segment will be the school children, but the evening gathering will be open to all interested citizens.
Milano, 6-8 October:
Air Force Captain Samantha Cristoforetti will go to EXPO 2015, in her role as Ambassador, at the National Museum of Science and Technology ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ and attend a large public event, at 6:00 p.m., at the Civic Planetarium, organized by the Focus, the Italian magazine publisher.
The full crew will meet students at the Pirelli Foundation in Bicocca.
The Milan event will end with a Thursday press conference at 9.30 a.m. in the Sala Reale della stazione di Milano Centrale (Royal Hall of the Milan Central Train Station), then starting at full speed on the Frecciarossa headed for Bologna.
Bologna, 8 October:
a meeting of the entire Crew with the students from the Bologna Business School at 6:00 p.m.
9-10 October headed to Rome aboard the Frecce (Arrow trains): educational events and a public meeting.
11 October hurtling towards Napoli (Naples) aboard the Frecce: a visit to the National Railway Museum in Pietrarsa, a final Press Conference to officially close the tour and a meeting with students at the historic Teatro San Carlo.