SpaceX Crew-4 astronauts returned safely to Earth on Friday after a six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.
One of these astronauts was Samantha Cristoforetti. The Italian space traveler – on her second orbital mission – shared moments of the adventure with more than a million Twitter followers and 780,000 TikTok fans, posting photos and videos showing life aboard the orbital outpost, as well as many stunning images of Earth 250 miles below.
Here is a selection of Cristoforetti’s tweets posted during his six-month space mission.
First, a quick review of the trip and the first days in space:
Back to international @Space station (and TikTok) pic.twitter.com/oCgJSdWKcu
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) May 6, 2022
A breathtaking view of the moon:
The ethereal beauty of the Moon… the last glow of the waning crescent rising above the colors of the impending sunrise. #Moon #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/bwza4TTlCt
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) May 30, 2022
“Cycling” in space:
Happy #WorldBicycleDay of the International @Space station! #MissionMinerva #SpaceTok pic.twitter.com/gTepsRjtdR
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) June 3, 2022
Take the time to reproduce a moment of Gravity:
One of my biggest regrets from my year in space was watching #GravityMovie and having @AstroSamantha floating close to the screen after his workout and not being fast enough towards the camera. Here is the failure of the original photo. So disappointed then, but all good now. Thank you, Samantha! https://t.co/4Av29VmDNl pic.twitter.com/XRJA21jjCA
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) June 19, 2022
“Moroccan culture is known for its impressive art and architecture,” says Cristoforetti. “No wonder it also looks like a real piece of EarthArt from space!”
Moroccan culture is known for its impressive art and architecture. No wonder it looks like a real piece of #EarthArt space too! #MissionMinerva #Morocco #Morocco #AtlasMountains pic.twitter.com/725JWVVHUK
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) July 8, 2022
Here’s how the station’s astronauts capture all of these incredible shots of Earth:
How to take pictures in #space! ???? #worf #SpaceTok #MissionMinerva @esa @esaspaceflight pic.twitter.com/IiCnUog6Ru
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) July 13, 2022
Preparing to go to bed on the ISS:
Getting ready for bed! ???? #The evening routine #SpaceToc #MissionMinerva @Space station @esa @esaspaceflight pic.twitter.com/MwWSxSjz2H
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) July 15, 2022
Here’s an entertaining effort from the Crew-4 astronauts:
Formation flight in our 4 small crew quarters. We did it the first time… well, maybe the second ????
Formation flight to our 4 small lodges. Passed on the first try… well, maybe on the second ????#MissionMinerva #Exp67 @Space station @esa @esaspaceflight pic.twitter.com/gP3ElkxqLW— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) July 16, 2022
Do astronauts take vitamin D while on the ISS? Here is the answer :
“Do you need to have #Vitamin D supplements? » #Ask me #MissionMinerva #SpaceTok @esa @esaspaceflight pic.twitter.com/hrmuI7fPhY
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) July 18, 2022
A time-lapse showing the solar panels of the space station following the sun:
A soothing waltz of solar panels in this accelerated timelapse – the panels rotate on two axes to follow the sun. And our #robotics field crews have been busy setting up the materials science experiment MISSE – can you see the robotic arm moving? #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/A1Lgk2Tftk
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) August 9, 2022
Here we can see an impact crater on Earth that occurred around 300 million years ago:
We explore space, and sometimes space comes to us. This “visit” dates back more than 300 million years… the Gweni-Fada #meteorite Impact crater in Chad – 14 km in diameter! #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/x5i0CkXexP
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) August 11, 2022
Auroras are a common sight for astronauts on the space station:
The Sun has been very active lately. Last week we saw the most amazing auroras I have ever seen in over 300 days in space! #auroraaustralis #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/r9hzZSoMNp
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) August 21, 2022
Prepare a meal in space:
Preparing lunch on the @Space station. Balanced meals like this help me stay healthy and maintain strong muscles and bones in space. #MissionMinerva #SpaceTok @iofbonehealth @esa pic.twitter.com/FQWvha7RFA
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) August 25, 2022
The stars of the ISS:
Twinkle, twinkle, little star…actually, on @Space station we look at the stars above the atmosphere, so no, they don’t twinkle. Also, we don’t have to worry about clouds ???? @esa pic.twitter.com/tqjyeK2q4z
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) August 29, 2022
The incredible Andes, seen from space:
A pass over the Andes just before sunset. I love the long shadows on the mountains! #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/wNvTaEt6TC
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) August 28, 2022
Watch other astronauts come into space:
We had a spectacular view of #Soyuz launch!
Sergey, Dmitry and Frank will be knocking on our door in a few hours… looking forward to welcoming them to their new home! #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/b6PP8L6AEl— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) September 21, 2022
A small scientific demonstration in microgravity conditions:
What do you think happens to the ping pong ball when I try to dip it in water? ???? Check it out! #MissionMinerva #buoyancy #SpaceTok @esa @esaspaceflight @Space station pic.twitter.com/dtxW8AOtlS
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) September 24, 2022
Yoga in space is tricky, but possible:
Yoga in weightlessness? Do!
It’s a bit tricky, but with the right poses (thanks @CosmicKidsYoga!) and some creative freedom, you can do it. Looked! https://t.co/XXEOcFzg4L#MissionMinerva #CosmicKids https://t.co/H2hGPSAWmD— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) September 27, 2022
Here’s how astronauts track their weight while in space:
Can you "weigh" weightless yourself? ⚖️ Not with a regular scale. Looked! #MissionMinerva #SpaceLife #SpaceTok @esa @esaspaceflight @Space station pic.twitter.com/iBuSnLsMlD
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 1, 2022
“Oh, the glamorous astronaut life!”
Oh, the glamorous life of an astronaut! Work in the bowels of our toilets, installation of a new pre-treatment tank. I love space plumbing! No worries, the toilet wasn’t broken, it was just a routine activity. A pretreatment is added to the urine with each use for chemical stabilization. #MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/NwYy7tetFg
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 4, 2022
Coral reefs seen from space:
Coral reefs are an incredible sight from space, just like they are on Earth. They are home to a stunning diversity of marine life – some call them the “rainforests of the sea”. Sad to think that we are on track to lose most of the world’s coral reefs to global warming.#MissionMinerva pic.twitter.com/2TUQ29Ks8q
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 7, 2022
Here is an amusing video showing Cristoforetti reproducing a scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey:
2022 A Space Odyssey. Turns out, yes, you can walk in Velcro shoes. Slowly, very very slowly ????#ASpaceOdyssey #MissionMinerva @esa @esaspaceflight @Space station pic.twitter.com/WI69RXmObE
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 8, 2022
Bacteria on the ISS could be harmful to human health. Here’s how the crew members test it:
There are no harmful bacteria and fungi on the @Space station. And if ever there were, we would find them ???? Take a look! #MissionMinerva #SpaceLife #SpaceTok @esa @esaspaceflight @Space station pic.twitter.com/VmkZNEJegw
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 9, 2022
How microgravity means having a cup of coffee in space is a little different from coming back to terra firma:
Having a good cup of coffee looks slightly different in space… ???? Check it out! #MissionMinerva #Coffee break #SpaceTok @esa @esaspaceflight @Space station pic.twitter.com/Z68rXcPZgx
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 12, 2022
Cristoforetti and his three Crew-4 colleagues flying through the space station:
It was an absolute pleasure to share this experience with my Crew-4 teammates. What incredible human beings! #MissionMinerva @astro_kjell @astro_watkins @Astro_FarmerBob @NASA_Astronauts @esa @esaspaceflight @Space station pic.twitter.com/2RcRi7WY5n
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 13, 2022
And finally, a nice time-lapse video shot over Europe:
One last time, fly with me! Farewell and, as always, thanks for all the fish! #MissionMinerva @esa @esaspaceflight @ESA_EO @Space station pic.twitter.com/Dpdushsdvu
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) October 13, 2022
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