The U.S native Mike Bloomfield and the Italian Roberto Vittori, two of the most prestigious astronauts in the world, were part of the exhibitors at the III version of the Space Summit
On Wednesday, April 10, astronaut and former NASA Space Shuttle commander Mike Bloomfield was the first to speak. The outstanding professional participated in three space missions, accumulating more than 753 hours in Space.
The first of his space flights was in 1997, when, as pilot of the space shuttle Atlantis, he flew the STS-86 mission. The second flight was in 2000, when he flew the Endeavour spacecraft, in charge of the STS-97 mission. His third and last mission was STS-110, which took place in 2002, as commander of Atlantis. About his last expedition, he recalled that “to be able to flight safely into space, I studied the shuttle cockpit manual for over a year”.
Before becoming a renowned astronaut, Bloomfield graduated from the United States Air Force (USAF) Academy in 1981. There, he became an F-15 fighter pilot and instructor, and in December 1994, he was selected by NASA.
On Thursday, April 11, it was Major General Roberto Vittori’s turn. He is one of the most experienced European astronauts, who attended the Italian Air Force Academy between 1985 and 1989, where he graduated as a military pilot. Vittori has over 2500 flight hours, in more than 40 aircraft models, among which stand out the F-104 Starfighter, Tornado Gr.1, and Mirage 2000.
In July 1998, he was selected as an astronaut by the Italian Space Agency, participating in three space missions in 2002 (Soyuz TM-34), 2005 (Soyuz TMA-6) and 2011 (STS-134).
About his Soyuz trip, he recalled that “it was a wonderful liftoff, and it took us about eight minutes and thirty seconds to arrive into space at a speed of 30,000 kms per second. Seeing the blue planet gives you a positive energy. It’s incredible.”
With world-renowned exhibitors, FIDAE confirms its position as an integral exhibition, becoming a center of knowledge and debate.
Mauricio Isaac, FIDAE 2024 Communications and Marketing Manager
