Samantha Cristoforetti is due to return to Earth on May 14, but the Italian astronaut is providing the public with her views of life aboard the international Space Station.
On May 3, Cristoforetti became the first person ever to drink espresso in space. She also made history as the first astronaut to ever wear a Star Trek uniform while in orbit around the Earth.
Cristoforetti arrived at the International Space Station in November 2014, becoming a member of Expeditions 42 and 43. She led several unique moments in space with the press to mark her last week in orbit.
On April 23, World Book Day, the space traveler - just three days shy of her 38th birthday - showed the world her collection of tiny books. She would read these lightweight, minuscule editions of books, refreshing and rewarding her mind while aboard the space station.
She also provided a video tour of the ISS bathroom, answering some of the basic questions many people ask about how astronauts stay clean and carry out other bathroom activities in the microgravity environment.
"From soap to water and cutting your nails, everything is different in space. Samantha demonstrates her ways to 'shower' depending on how much time she has," European Space Agency officials wrote in the video description.
Running water would just ball up in space and float around the space station, causing havoc with electronics. Instead, Cristoforetti showed how astronauts place water on themselves, then layer soap on their bodies as they wash. Hair is cleaned through the application of a no-rinse shampoo. Nail clippings need to be done near a ventilation grid to prevent the clippings from floating through the orbiting outpost.
The space traveler took many photos of the Earth, publishing many on the microblogging site Twitter. Images of cities around the world were seen from space in Cristoforetti's photographs.
Perhaps the most iconic image from Cristoforetti's six-month journey will remain the picture of her sipping espresso while wearing a uniform like those worn in the television show Star Trek: Voyager.
"There's coffee in that nebula"... ehm, I mean... in that #Dragon. pic.twitter.com/9MYrqIOXnI
— Sam Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) April 17, 2015
The astronaut was selected by the European Space Agency in May 2009, and completed her training in November 2010. She is active on Twitter, reaching out to her fans as @AstroSamanatha. She served as a flight engineer on the ISS' Futura mission.
"Whether it was showing off how she works out or the science experiments she's in charge of, Cristoforetti made science cool and accessible to those on the ground eager to learn," Alyssa Newcomb wrote for ABC News.
Fellow astronaut Terry Virts and Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov will accompany Cristoforetti as the trio returns to Earth aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.
