Working in Columbus

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti working on the Triplelux experiment during her 2015 Futura mission to the International Space Station.

Triplelux is an ESA investigation into the effects of microgravity on immune cells, using the Biolab facility in Columbus on the International Space Station.

Cells were spun to recreate different levels of gravity, from zero to the level we feel on Earth, allowing researchers to compare samples and exclude other factors in the results.

Although the cells went into disarray in weightlessness, they reacted ultra-rapidly and fully recovered inside 42 seconds.

Samantha commented on the picture: "While I was working on the Triplelux experiment I noticed that Columbus was in the hands of Italian ladies! Serena & Martina talked to me on space-to-ground as EUROCOMs and Laura was the systems specialist on duty in Columbus Control Centre."