Thomas and Matthias astro chats: space innovations

Join ESA astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Matthias Maurer at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, USA. In part three of this video series, the astronauts discuss how spacecraft might look for future flights to Mars and new equipment on the Space Station.

Though mission details and dates are yet to be confirmed, Thomas and Matthias are the next two European astronauts in line for flights. Thomas has flown to the International Space Station before, while Matthias will fly for the first time.

Prior to a mission, astronauts train extensively to ensure they are familiar with the vast array of systems and operations on board. In this video, the pair look beyond low Earth orbit, as they consider what the future of spaceflight might hold as well as some new additions to the Space Station – including a more reliable printer and additional toilet.

This video was filmed in June 2020. At that time, the platform Thomas and Matthias were standing on – in front of a full-scale mock-up of the International Space Station – was the only place at NASA’s JSC that they could interact without face masks. Despite this, the pair were required to maintain social distance at all times as a precaution.