Interview avec Brian Duffy, astronaute et Pilote / Commandant de la navette spatiale lors des missions STS-45, 57, 72 et 92

Brian DUFFY est un astronaute de la NASA sélectionné en 1985 dans le groupe 11. Ancien pilote d'essai de l'US Air Force, il a effectué 4 missions spatiales dont 2 en tant que Commandant (dont le 100ème vol d'une navette).

Actuellement responsable du Programme Altaïr (le futur alunisseur) chez Lockheed Martin

Interview réalisée en 2009

Q : How many years were you connected to the space program before your 1st flight ?

A : I'd been at NASA for nearly 7 years before I flew the first time.

Q : How did you feel prior the flight ?

A : Very excited at the thought of leaving the planet, and I felt lucky and privileged to be doing what I was doing.

Q : What kinds of sensations did you experienced during the take-off ?

A : Amazing acceleration that didn't stop. The g's varied during the profile, but they were very impressive.

Q : What does weightlessness feel like, and what did you think about during the flight ?

A : It feels pretty normal, particularly after being in space for a couple of days. I loved looking at Earth and I thought of my family quite a bit.

Q : What were some of the problems you encountered and how did you fixed them ?

A : No real problems on my first flight, just routine things.

Q : What did you eat and did it taste real ?

A : We choose our own menu and it differs by meal and by day. I enjoyed the food, particularly the shrimp cocktail because it was very spicy.

Q : What was Re-entry like ?

A : Coming back in to land is like nothing you've ever seen or done......it's surreal what you see and feel.

Q : Were you glad to be back on Earth, or did you feel you could have spent the rest of your life up there ?

A : I was glad to be back to see my family, but anxious to go again (which I did 3 more times). I'd go back to space in a minute.