“There is a slight fear when you discover the enormity of the universe.”

Special

Last October marked the one year anniversary of the graduation ceremony of a new generation of astronauts who will participate in various spaceflights to Luna And Mars. It is made up of five women and six men. One of them is of Hispanic origin.

NASA plans to put the next man and first woman in Luna And start the scan to Mars for the next decade of this century.

Seven years ago we spoke with the first Mexican astronaut, Rodolfo Neri VillaAbout his trip on the ferry Atlantis, on a mission that lasted six days, and revolved around Earth 109 times, he placed three communications satellites.

His flight on the shuttle Atlantis departed the last week of November 1985…

That’s right, November 26, 1985.

What moments were recorded in Rodolfo Neri Villa?

Of course the privileges of seeing Earth, I thank God for the wonderful look and life and my parents. I thanked my country for choosing me, besides NASAOn his first mission to the United States, well, feeling pregnant, doing new and different things.

It was all a very nice mix of feelings and emotions and then you have to go back and adapt to Earth. You cannot dream your whole life.

Was there fear?

I would say very sparingly when you realize the vastness of the universe, how fragile the Earth is, how fragile the ship is. can anything destroy it.

It has been said buzzing aldrin, the second man who was on the moon with Neil Armstrong… and another astronaut named Mitchell, they came back and they were mentally disturbed, is that true?

I know them both, l Aldrin actually MitchellI don’t know if Mitchell keep living. Aldrin Yes, but I met them several years ago, and I think they lived a very difficult period in which there were still a few individuals who went into space, and their private lives practically disappeared, surrounded by the press, by many female fans.

There is also talk of 69, that the moon was never reached, and that it was all a montage, seeking to win the space race against the Soviet Union which actually launched even a puppy, are there elements to be denied Which – which?

I firmly believe that NASA Yes I arrived Luna And in characters like Mitchell How do AldrinWell, they are responsible people, and it would be quite ridiculous to think that they were saying false things, and that would be an impossible thing. to accept.

Will the latest generation of astronauts in training reach Mars in 20 years? Is that what you appreciate, Rodolfo?

Maybe one of them. Last year, in 2013, NASA The most recent class of astronaut candidates has been selected: 4 men and 4 women, who have been trained to work in International Station, As for the tasks that are displayed towards Luna and an asteroid early in the next decade. We are talking about young people between 25 and 30 years old. 20 years from now when the first trips to Mars are made, they will already be in their 50s, and with a lot of experience, they will already have gone to space on other types of missions near Earth. If they stay in good physical shape, why not?

Could the first person to reach Mars have actually been born on Earth?

I was already born.