Space station crew rise above geopolitical tensions on ground, says French astronaut


Sarwat Nasir
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Crew members on the International Space Station have always risen above geopolitical tensions on the ground and focused on their work, French astronaut Thomas Pesquet has said.

Former ISS commander Mr Pesquet, 44, who spent six months there last year, was speaking at the France pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai on Friday.

He said he believes that collaboration on the ISS will continue, despite the unprecedented times the space sector is facing after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But he also cautioned that current events made people think about the future.

“We are all on the same boat on board the space station. We’re working and there are no tensions or divisions,” Mr Pesquet, who last year became the first European to travel on Elon Musk's SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, said.

“It’s important because it’s safety that is at stake. Of course, current events makes us wonder what the future will be.

“But I always found that the space station is great example to show that people manage to work together, even those who don’t speak the same language, come from different countries and have different histories.”

Thomas Pesquet, right, with Japanese astronaut Soichi Wakata on the International Space Station in 2021. Photo: European Space Agency
Thomas Pesquet, right, with Japanese astronaut Soichi Wakata on the International Space Station in 2021. Photo: European Space Agency

There are currently seven astronauts in the floating laboratory — four Americans, two Russians and one German. Three more Russian cosmonauts are due to launch to the station on March 18.

The ISS — built upon a partnership between the US, Russia, the European Space Agency, Canada and Japan — has had crews composed of different nationalities throughout its 20-year history.

It had been shielded from political tensions until recently. But in retaliation for western sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin suspended scientific co-operation with Germany on the ISS.

However, US space agency Nasa has confirmed that all other operations there remain “normal”.

The EU has placed tough sanctions on Russia, including ones affecting its space programme.

Recently, the ESA suspended the ExoMars mission, which was being built in partnership with Russian space agency Roscosmos. It was scheduled to launch on a Russian rocket this year.

Riding in Crew Dragon

At the Expo, Mr Pesquet also spoke about travelling in the Crew Dragon spacecraft for the first time. He flew in the Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2016.

“Those are two completely different vehicles. Soyuz is from the 1960s and the Crew Dragon is brand new,” he said.

“But, the physical principles are the same — there’s not so many different ways to send something into space.

“Inside the capsule, it’s the same difference between a new and an old plane. Crew Dragon has big, flat screens, very automated and a very sleek design.”

He said that European astronauts would continue flying in the Dragon because of agreements between the ESA and Nasa.

“It’s kind of a consequence of Nasa having this new capacity to send people up to the space station. We were going to fly on the Crew Dragon anyway, and it’s unrelated to the current events.

“So, you’ll mostly see European astronauts on the Crew Dragon in the future.”

Only Russia, the US and China have the capability to launch astronauts into space.

Europe has always relied on the US and Russia to launch its astronauts, but the ESA is hoping to set goals for its own independent launch programme.

The French pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai — in pictures

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Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
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Current number of staff: More than 150
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
 
  • Grade 9 = above an A*
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Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

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50-over match

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Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes

Cheat’s nigiri 
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.

Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.

Deconstructed sushi salad platter 
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.

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Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)

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6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (PA) Group 1 US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
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Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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World Cricket League Division 2

In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.

UAE fixtures

Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final

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Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Updated: March 18, 2022, 3:39 PM`