Day 5: Thursday 25 October
This morning Claudie talked to the French Minister for Research, Schwartzenberg in Paris. A major focus of the Andromède mission is to work together with school children and students in carrying out research on the Space Station. During her conversation with Schwartzenberg, Claudie emphasized how she was particularly keen to encourage younger children to explore new worlds such as that of weightlessness in space.
The busy schedule of experiments also continued today. With the help of the on-ground support team, Claudie continued to track down the fault in the COGNI keyboard that has so far delayed the navigation experiments. A back-up procedure will be performed tomorrow.
The Andromède crew also tested the Mirsupio bag. Previously carried on board the French-Russian Perseus flight in 1999, the Mirsupio bag was designed in response to problems encountered when working in microgravity. Elastic pockets make it possible to store and retrieve small objects without using a zip or any other fastening system. A transparent flap also allows the astronauts to see what is inside each pocket.
The mission is proceeding well and the crew seem to have settled into daily life on the Space Station. During an interview with French TV, Claudie Haigneré confirmed that she had very quickly adapted to conditions on board the Space Station, in part due to the experience she had gained during her mission to Mir in 1996.
