The first French female astronaut to fly into space talks about reading culture

Ms. Claudie Haigneré, the first female French astronaut and former Minister in charge of Research and Minister of European Affairs, shared this during her first visit to Vietnam.

Nữ phi hành gia Pháp đầu tiên bay vào vũ trụ nói về văn hóa đọc - Ảnh 1. — French astronaut Claudie Haigneré and Associate Professor - Dr. Phan Thi Ha Duong - Director of the International Center for Mathematics Research and Training - UNESCO (second from left) at the talk show "Inspiring Women" at the French Embassy, Hanoi on the evening of September 23.

On the sidelines of the exchange organized by the French Institute at the French Embassy in Hanoi on the evening of September 23, in a short conversation, the famous female astronaut exclusively shared with Thanh Nien interesting and unique things about AI and reading culture, about the importance of nurturing dreams on the path to adulthood of a person, from the interesting perspective of a person who has seen the Earth from space twice.

TikTok will blow your imagination away

Claudie Haigneré began her scientific career as a rheumatologist at Cochin Hospital (Paris), until she was selected by CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies) as a scientific astronaut in 1985. "When I was a 12-year-old girl, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut, starting with the science fiction books I read. Many stars were lit in my head to help me illuminate that dream and throughout my childhood, I constantly nurtured it with curiosity and imagination…", she said.

Although she later became a doctor, that dream did not rest in peace. And the opportunity came one fine day exactly 40 years ago, when she saw a recruitment notice posted at the hospital where she worked. The recruitment position needed to train a female astronaut who was also a scientist. "Immediately, my old dream arose, and I quickly seized that opportunity," the famous female astronaut recalled.

She emphasized the need for a ready mindset when it comes to seizing opportunities: "In my journey to becoming an astronaut, of course, there was luck, but more importantly, the willingness to seize opportunities. When we are not ready, we will not be able to seize opportunities." The female astronaut also emphasized the importance of curiosity and imagination - as a source of nutrients that nurture dreams and motivate people to success. "In the digital age, young people stand before many doors. But don't forget, there will be doors that are very difficult to open, if we do not know how to nurture imagination, surprise and admiration...", she shared.

Agreeing with Thanh Nien reporter about the concern that children who only read comics and TikTok all day long may have their imagination eroded, the female astronaut affirmed: "As a scientist, I believe that books play a leading role in helping to nurture human emotions and imagination. Because when reading books, we spend a long time and very deeply on it, truly immersing ourselves in that world . It is very different from surfing the internet to watch short, quick videos and emotions so easily slip away and pass very quickly," she said .

The value of awe

The astronaut, who is one of 13% of women in the world who became female astronauts, talked about her feelings during her two lucky times admiring the Earth from space: "It's hard to form my thoughts at that moment, when you orbit the Earth at a speed of 28,000 km/h and then free fall for 90 minutes, in a zero-gravity environment. But the feeling at that moment must be said to be extremely magical. The emotion left me with no words to describe it. I felt like I was clearly seeing every 'vessel, flesh' of the Earth, its immense beauty; at the same time, I also felt more clearly than ever its vulnerability, the dangers that could happen to it before the boundless power of natural phenomena...".

Nữ phi hành gia Pháp đầu tiên bay vào vũ trụ nói về văn hóa đọc- Ảnh 2. — "From space, I can clearly see every 'vein and muscle' of the Earth...", female astronaut Claudie Haigneré shared

The female astronaut therefore appreciated the value of wonder: "In my time, science fiction books often wrote about things that people have not reached the desire to turn it into reality. But now, science fiction movies mainly talk about natural disasters, energy disasters..., bringing a rather dark view of the world, making people want to immediately hide in a shelter. I think it should not be like that. Literature and art should be beautiful things that help to arouse imagination, surprise and admiration so that people have enough nutrients to nurture their dreams."

Ms. Claudie Haigneré believes that one of the important things for humans is to maintain and enrich their imagination. "How can people always keep their surprise at this life, when today's fast-paced life with too many worries can make us lose the surprise needed to feel life in the most poetic way," she told Thanh Nien .

The female astronaut said that in her inspirational talks, she loves to tell young people about the wonders in the sky and the complexities on the ground, to show what space exploration will bring and how to go further. "When I go on a mission in space, I am more strongly aware that the Earth is a common asset, the ocean is a common asset, we must protect that common asset by all means," the female astronaut shared.

Ms. Claudie Haigneré encourages young people, especially women: "Dream big and don't hesitate to open the doors! It's important to have dreams. I always dream of touching the moon and the stars. I always see the earth as beautiful and always long to explore its beauty, always asking myself what I need to leave on this earth for future generations...".

The female astronaut and scientist did not forget to mention AI: "AI is often understood as artificial intelligence, but when people know how to use AI properly, AI then needs to be understood as augmented intelligence. AI is extremely necessary and important, especially for the crew, when they go out into space to conduct expeditions. In an environment where even the simplest movements become complicated and in a place where the crew is forced to make independent decisions, have to handle many problems themselves, they really need AI support to make quick, correct decisions. The problem is knowing how to master AI so that everything is controlled as best as possible without causing consequences, and to do that, first of all, do not be afraid of it!".

The former Minister in charge of European Affairs also shared with Thanh Nien about the most important issue in Europe today: "The establishment of the EU, in my opinion, is one of the beautiful ideas, helping to bring many dual benefits to the member countries, as well as making its voice more influential. But in the face of hot issues in the region as well as in the world, I think the EU needs to act faster to quickly find a common voice right in the diversity of the member countries."

Claudie Haigneré is a rheumatologist, researcher and astronaut, the first French woman in space (space missions in 1996 and 2001). She served as Minister for Research (2002-2004) and Minister for European Affairs (2004-2005). She also headed the Universcience system and two affiliated scientific centers (Discovery Power and Science City) for 6 years (2009-2015). In the European Space Agency (ESA), as advisor to the Director General, she focused on European space policy and the lunar exploration programs until 2020. As a member of the French Institute of Technology (Académie des Technologies), she contributed to several working groups dedicated to innovation.

In Ho Chi Minh City, at 5:30 p.m. on September 25 at AWS Event Hall, Bitexco building, Ms. Claudie Haigneré and Ms. Ton Nu Thi Ninh - former Ambassador of Vietnam to the European Union and the Kingdom of Belgium, along with a number of speakers - pioneers in the fields of science, industry, and diplomacy, will have a talk on the topic "Inspiring Women - Multidimensional perspectives on leadership, science and innovation".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nu-phi-hanh-gia-phap-dau-tien-bay-vao-vu-tru-noi-ve-van-hoa-doc-185250924083334598.htm