Thomas Pesquet, famous French astronaut, is left in 2021 on the ISS (International Space Station) and was able to observe the beauty of the earth as well as its deterioration.
Having already been able to discover the space atmosphere in 2016, the astronaut has noticed the worsening of climatic disasters since his previous stay.
Earth, this jewel from space
Thomas Pesquet is a lover of planet Earth and his space travels have reinforced this affection: “When you look at the Earth from the space station, it’s absolutely magical, he says. We are not very far, so we have a relatively close view. But you can see the curvature and you see the atmosphere. It glows blue. It’s absolutely breathtaking the first time you see it. It’s the most beautiful landscape you can imagine.”
But the astronaut also sees his experience as an incredible opportunity to take a step back from the feeling of immensity that can be felt from the ground. “When you see the Earth in its entirety, you suddenly realize that we live in an oasis in the cosmosexplains Thomas Pesquet. All around us there is nothing, no life, blackness, emptiness, absolutely nothing – apart from this blue ball with everything we need to sustain human life, and life in general, which is absolutely fragile.”
This feeling of fragility develops in him a need to take care of his planet, “the more we see it from space, the more we want to cherish the Earth and protect it”, he says.
Damage visible from space
Although dazzled by the beauty of the earth, the French astronaut does not allow himself to be amazed. If his stays have taught him anything, it is the presence of climate change. “You can see a lot of consequences of human activities from spacehe says. Some of them are due to climate change, others to ordinary pollution, for example pollution of rivers or air. The most visible effect is the retreat of the glaciers, year following year and mission following mission.”
But what strikes the Frenchman all the more is the increase in extreme weather phenomena: “They are getting stronger, year following year, he laments. My first mission took place in 2016-2017, and the second five years later, in 2021. I might see a marked increase in the frequency and strength of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, such as the fires of forest.”
Nevertheless, Thomas Pesquet remains optimistic regarding the future of the earth, confident thanks to technological development and the strength of international cooperation taking place in space. “If we can fly a space station, then we can save the planet.”
