Thomas Pesquet in the Cloud chamber at Le Bourget

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and the ‘cloud chamber’, at the ESA Pavilion, Paris Air and Space Show, 19 June 2015.

On 17 March 2014, Thomas was assigned to a long-duration mission on the International Space Station. He will be leaving our planet for six months November 2016 as a flight engineer for Expeditions 50 and 51, returning in May 2017.

The darkened chamber is a popular draw for visitors. Particles are seen in the cloud chamber as they ionise supersaturated alcohol vapour along their tracks. These tracks can then be observed as vapour mist of various shapes and forms.