"before 2050, Humans will have walked on Mars"

On 29 July 1958, NASA was created. American space, which has become the symbol of space conquest. For Jean-François Clervoy, former astronaut and author of "History of Space Conquest" this anniversary is also an opportunity to celebrate our European achievements: even "NASA has recognized our ability to do great explorations like them " he explains.

A real cooperation has now been established between the different agencies and according to him, it will be embodied in the next major rendezvous of the space conquest: the return of the Human on the Moon and the exploration of Mars

franceinfo: When one thinks of NASA, one thinks necessarily of the Moon, to Neil Armstrong, to the missions Apollo? [19659003] Jean-François Clervoy: Yes, of course, and I was fortunate and honored to be part of NASA's 14 astronaut group. When I arrived in Houston [Texas] there were still veterans of the Gemini era, Apollo. John Young was my instructor and I really felt at the heart of the History of Space. I was chosen by the European Space Agency [ESA] to animate the 50 years of our agency, which must not envy anything to NASA, because we achieve the same great things. When NASA recognized – "hat down to ESA" – our ability to make great explorations like them, with robots and manned flights, I realized we were now in Europe as in the United States, a great space power capable of advancing knowledge. It is often forgotten, but in NASA there is the word "aeronautical" . It is thanks to the great advances in aeronautics that NASA was able to create the space. NASA created the aircraft wing profiles and created the wind tunnels that made it possible to develop the Space Shuttle's thermal shield. Of course, NASA is the agency that put the first humans on the moon.

NASA lost its supremacy. There is real cooperation with Europe and Russia?

Yes, NASA recognizes it: to achieve big projects, you need partners. The European Space Agency was already a partner for the shuttle program. It was we who made the "space lab" the research laboratory module that occupied the entire hold of the shuttle. ESA is one of NASA's major partners for the space station. We are partners in the exploration missions, for example the James-Webb Telescope, this telescope that will succeed Hubble, that I had the chance to repair in space in 1999. It will be an extremely powerful telescope for which the European Space Agency is a partner. NASA still has the supremacy, in a way: it is the space agency that has the largest budget, so who has the audacity to decide the largest programs. But it drives behind the other agencies, which rise with it and even equalize it.

Among these major programs, there is the return of the Man on the Moon and Mars. How soon do you see these programs come true?

The International Space Station will probably continue in the late 2020s, when we will be ready to send men to other destinations than the ISS. Before 2030, in the next ten years, Humans will turn around the Moon. In the next fifteen years, Humans will turn around Mars. If all goes well, if we do not have major major problems on Earth, wars or economic and technical problems, I think that before 2050, humans will have walked on Mars. It is very difficult to land on Mars, but we will go and we, the Europeans, will always be at NASA's side.

You have participated in three missions. What is your best memory?

This is probably a memory of my first space flight, on the shuttle Atlantis, dedicated to the study of the atmosphere of the oceans. Through the two large portholes of optical quality of the badpit, we were facing the Earth. We were in a very inclined orbit in relation to the equator, so we flew over a large land surface. It is probably the view of the Earth, from the shuttle Atlantis, during my first mission in 1994.