Continue post-flight tour of the mission that brought Air Force Colonel Walter Villadei on board the International Space Station
On 17th April, the Le Ciminiere exhibition centre in Catania hosted an event organised by the Italian Space Agency to tell school pupils about the scientific activities on board the Ax-3 Voluntas mission. The Italian Air Force was represented by Lt Gen Aurelio Colagrande, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Italian Air Force, and Col Walter Villadei, who, thanks to Ax-3, was able to carry out experiments during his three weeks in microgravity originating not only from the armed forces, but also from the academic, scientific and industrial worlds. The event, entitled “Italian science on the ISS: the Ax-3 mission and the role of the ASI”, was organised in collaboration with the Metropolitan City of Catania.
After thanking Mayor Enrico Trantino and Teodoro Valente, President of the Italian Space Agency (ASI), for their hospitality, General SA Colagrande noted: “The Italian Air Force has played a fundamental role in space research since the days of the San Marco programme, the sixtieth anniversary of which is celebrated this year. The Ax-3 mission has demonstrated our ability to act as an aggregating factor for very diverse entities—from institutions to the scientific world and private individuals—to promote in-orbit activities that will bring positive benefits here on Earth.” Taking the opportunity to emphasise how the Air Force is one of the potential paths to follow for those wishing to pursue a professional career in space, the General then concluded with a reflection dedicated to the young men and women present: “Passion is fundamental for our sector, because it drives us to achieve the goals we set ourselves from childhood.”.
During his speech, following a round table coordinated by the Head of the ASI Human Spaceflight and Scientific Experimentation Unit, Barbara Negri, which also involved Stefano Romano, Full Professor of Nuclear and Subnuclear Physics and Director of the “Ettore Majorana” Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Luca Vincenzo Maria Salamone, Director General of ASI, Col. Villadei pointed out: “Space represents a close and tangible dimension: innovation, technology and scientific research, but also many new professions that go beyond that of the astronaut, in a space economy which, combining the public and private sectors, creates extraordinary opportunities for those who want to build their career or business there. In this sector, our country has been a leading player for sixty years and has the opportunity, also thanks to missions such as Voluntas, to continue being so, promoting its excellence, with an eye on the lunar economy. In a dimension where space is taking on an increasingly strategic value and requires operational skills to ensure secure and free access to it, the role of the Italian Air Force and Defence is fundamental.
Massive was the audience's enthusiasm, mostly made up of 400 schoolgirls and schoolboys and 20 teachers from six different institutes, some of whom had been involved last February in the Aviation Culture Course.
