Recording of a multi-site In-Flight Call with Luca Parmitano on board the ISS with three participating sites on ground: ESERO Germany, ESERO Italy and ESERO Spain. The call tool place on 15 October 2019. ESERO (European Space Education Resource Office) is ESA's umbrella educational project supporting formal education of the sciences (STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in European primary and secondary schools.
Question 1 (Germany): In the Biorock experiment, you work with microbes that breakdown rocks into useful minerals and metals. How do you safely perform experiments like this on the ISS where the contents could be harmful to the crew, and do you think experiments such as Biorock can help lead to the development of future life-support systems?
Question 2 (Germany): How do space missions affect you physically and psychologically and what characteristics, knowledge, and skills will astronauts need for future deep space missions?
Question 3 (Italy): For us "going beyond", means overcoming our own limitations and difficulties, and also overcoming our thoughts, or being willing to change our knowledge and our beliefs. In your work as an astronaut on the ISS, when and how have you had the opportunity to "go beyond" your experience and professionalism? Have you experienced a personal change in your beliefs or knowledge?
Question 4 (Italy): We can only imagine your emotions moving away from the Earth and living in an environment so different from what we are used to. Do you think "going beyond" means adapting to a new environment and perhaps finding a new planet to live on? How does your experience as an astronaut help you appreciate our Earth and see an opportunity to make it better?
Question 5 (Spain): On Earth, we have created remote controlled robots that can walk, roll, and even fly. What role do you think these types of advanced robots will have in the future of exploration?
Question 6 (Spain): Microbes play an important role in life on Earth. Would microbes taken from Earth need to be prepared to withstand environmental conditions in space, and specifically on other planets?