The Astronaut Diaries

How do astronauts prepare to go to space? Why are robots so important to space exploration? And how do you wash your hair in zero gravity?

Andi Futura, her older brother and their parents are about to become the first family in space... and she’s sharing everything she learns while living aboard a space station with YOU!

Discover what life in space is really like in this fascinating read authored by real-life astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Andi’s diary entries share the fun of slow cartwheeling around a space station and watching 16 sunrises and sunsets every day, while her reports to mission control will have you learning about how conducting science experiments in space can help humanity.

Can Andi do enough to show that she’s capable of becoming a fully-fledged astronaut and commanding her own mission one day? Pull on your space helmet, strap on your oxygen tank, and dive into The Astronaut Diaries to find out!

Samantha Cristoforetti Is the first European female commander of the International Space Station and the first European woman to complete a spacewalk. Since 2012, Samantha has been part of two missions: during her latest Minerva, Samantha supported numerous European and international experiments in orbit.

Outside of space, Samantha is a UNICEF ambassador and an avid reader with a passion for science and technology and an equal interest in humanities. She enjoys learning foreign languages and occasionally finds the time to hike, scuba dive or practice yoga. When not travelling for work, Samantha lives with her partner Lionel and their two children near ESA’s Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.