Continuing the European exploration tradition.

John O’Sullivan has has over 20 years’ experience in the automation and control sector delivering solutions to the life-science industry in Ireland. He is currently Engineering Director with Douglas Control and Automation.

He has always had a fascination with aviation and space, leading him to gain his PPL in 2003 and to study Astronomy and Planetary Science with the Open University. He was awarded a Certificate in Astronomy and Planetary Science and a Diploma in Physical Science by the OU some years ago as well as a Diploma in Project Management from the Cork Institute of Technology. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Corps in 2008.

He has now published “In the footsteps of Columbus” (ISBN-10: 3319275607), telling the story of the ESA astronauts and their work on board the International Space Station over its first decade and how they have lived on board, helped construct the space laboratory and performed valuable scientific experiments.

ESA has contributed the Columbus science laboratory as well as the Copula, the Leonardo PMM and the ATV supply ship to the station’s infrastructure but it is the human endeavour that captures the imagination. From brief visits to six month expeditions, from spacewalking to commanding the Earth’s only outpost in space, ESA astronauts have played a vital role in the international project.

Extensive use of colour photographs from NASA and ESA depicting the experiments carried out, the phases of the ISS construction and the personal stories of the astronauts in space highlights the crucial European work on human spaceflight.

Published by Springer Praxis it may be purchased directly from the publisher as a paperback or as an e-book.