“Going into space as the first woman to follow Claudie Haigneré is a great honor,” Sophie Adenot, the Frenchwoman selected in ESA’s new class of European astronauts, declared on BFMTV.
“I take this opportunity to say that she (Claudie Haigneré) inspired me a lot,” said Sophie Adenot, referring to the first French female astronaut to become an astronaut in France. “I was only 14 years old when she went on her first mission, and I think that was the trigger for my dream of a space adventure, yes.”
Tribute to his grandfather
The 40-year-old engineer once again wanted to pay tribute to her grandfather, “who was very present to convey to me (him) the passion for aviation in general, but also to convey to me (him) the curiosity for science and technology” . “.
“He would often put newspaper clippings, biographies in my hands and say ‘well, maybe you’d like that,'” she says. “And that’s how I made my way, also very encouraged by the teachers I had in the different schools, so my self-confidence grew little by little.”
Sophie Adenot was also delighted with her meeting with Thomas Pesquet and the entire promotion of 2009, this Wednesday morning. “A great moment for us, very inspiring,” she commented. “We felt there was a real team spirit between the new promotion and the 2009 promotion.”
Source: BFM TV
