The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson during a briefing session before using the Virtual Reality hardware to rehearse some of their duties for a mission to the International Space Station, at NASA's Johnson Space Center, on 7 September 2016.
Astronauts prepare for Extra-Vehicular Activities (EVA) or spacewalks through numerous training media, such as: self-study, part task training, underwater training in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), hands-on hardware reviews and training at the Virtual Reality Laboratory (VRLab).
With this VRLab system the crew members can choreograph and rehearse their on-orbit procedures.
Thomas and Peggy will be launched into space together with cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy in November 2016.
Follow Thomas via thomaspesquet.esa.int