Menu
“This is Earth calling, and its very middle, Budapest,” this is how the Prime Minister greeted Tibor Kapu at the beginning of their conversation conducted on Sunday, and then listed all the topics – politics, defence, religion, advertising, gender, global warming and pseudo-science – that they would not be allowed to talk about.
Tibor Kapu said it was an honour for him to talk not only to the Prime Minister, but to all viewers through the broadcast. He said he is very well, is in the middle of a very busy working day, and will make every effort to avoid the topics mentioned as he is not an expert on any of those.
Mr Orbán recalled that he was 17 years old when he saw the launch of the first Hungarian astronaut Bertalan Farkas, while Tibor Kapu is the second one he had the privilege to see. “Down here, everyone now wants to be Tibor Kapu, and if I were a child, I myself would probably want the same,” he added.
Mr Kaput said when after a journey of 26 hours they finally arrived on board the International Space Station, during the one hour between docking and the welcoming ceremony, he had the possibility to call his parents who told him what impact his launch had had on the Hungarian people and the Hungarian nation. He stressed that he was extremely happy that his mission had already achieved one of its most important goals, namely reaching the Hungarian people.
“We are very proud of you, that you made it this high,” Mr Orbán responded, asking Mr Kapu whether he thought it made sense for Hungary to join the international space industry. The Hungarian astronaut said for him this is not a question; he is convinced that small countries like Hungary can dream the biggest. He stressed that today the space industry was an industry and a branch of science where one did not have to be a big player to join. He pointed out that he was taking part in the Axiom-4 mission together with colleagues from the United States, India and Poland. This amply demonstrates that it is possible to achieve enormous results in international cooperation. He also stressed that the space industry was a flourishing industry; every forint that is now being invested will be recovered six-fold later. He observed at the same time that the number of people he could inspire as a result of his mission was a thought that was much dearer to his heart.
Mr Kapu mentioned his father and Bertalan Farkas as his role models, stressing that he can now be in space as a result of their examples and teachings. “If we can trigger a similar effect on young Hungarians, then I think we will have already won,” he added.
“The world is full of temptations, some of the better, others of the worse kind, and we’d like to thank you for showing our children temptations of the better kind,” Mr Orbán said in reply.
Regarding the experiments conducted on board the International Space Station, Mr Kapu said as part of the Axiom-4 mission, they will conduct some 60 experiments, and he will be able to conduct 25 of these on his own as a Hungarian. He said this is an incredible number, highlighting that within the framework of the HUNOR Programme, researchers have worked for years to accomplish this high number of experiments of enormous scientific value.
He said he primarily focuses on dosimetry, the measuring of radiation which is the Hungarians’ space legacy as Mr Farkas, too, took with him the measuring instrument called Pille to the Salyut 6 space station, and the umpteenth generation of the same instrument serves at the International Space Station also today.
Additionally, he said in continuation, he has already planted the first paprika, radish and wheat seeds as well, and inspected the fruit flies he took with him to space which will be important during a DNA test to be conducted at a later date. He said Hungarian universities, research groups and businesses are involved in the projects that are behind these experiments.
In answer to Mr Orbán’s question about whether amidst the circumstances of weightlessness, common sense still works in space, Mr Kapu said weightlessness has an enormous number of impacts on the human body as at times like this, the heart works harder than it should, body fluids rise to the upper part of the human body, muscles weaken somewhat, bone density decreases as well, and the brain, too, must get used to the new environment. In English, this is called space fog, he added, observing that it is very easy to lose things or to lose track of time at the space station.
He also said he has seen the Carpathian Basin with Hungary in it, including Lake Fertő, Kecskemét, Szeged and the southern part of Lake Balaton, Keszthely, several times from the famous module of the International Space Station, the seven-window cupola.
He further said that he gets on very well with his colleagues at the space station; they take good care of one another. He said “we’re one of the jolliest crews that have ever come to space.”
He recalled that seven persons from the United States, Russia and Japan constituted the permanent crew of the International Space Station, plus the four members of the Axiom-4 mission; additionally, 7 of the 11 persons are in space for the first time.
He also said that he took some paprika paste and hot peppers with him to the space station so that the dishes they are allowed to eat up there have some flavour, and that he will leave some with the permanent crew.
Mr Orbán finally asked Mr Kapu whether the war was visible from up there, to which the Hungarian astronaut responded that from up there, he could only see beautiful and good things, “only beautiful colours, only beautiful clouds, and beautiful cities.”
More news
