On October 26, Pope Francis will place a satellite call with the six astronauts that are currently at the International Space Station. The meeting will be very similar to the one Benedict held six years ago with this group of astronauts.
Pope Benedict was amused at the time to see the astronauts floating.
For that occasion, the then-pope had prepared five questions for the expedition, about issues such as peace or the environment.
CAPTAIN MARK E. KELLY
NASA Astronaut
“The science and the technology that we put in the Space Station to develop a solar power capability, gives us pretty much an unlimited amount of energy. If those technologies could be adapted more on Earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence.”
One of the astronauts carried a silver medal, a gift from Benedict XVI. He had Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” engraved on it.
During the conversation, he gave it to one of the others to bring it back to earth and return it to the pope.
BENEDICT XVI
“You are our representatives, spear-heading humanity's exploration of new spaces and possibilities for our future, going beyond the limitations of our everyday existence.”
At the station, astronauts from various space agencies collaborate together. During the months they spend in space, they carry out experiments they can't do on earth because of gravity.
