ESA Astronaut: Frank de Winne First European Commander of ISS

It's the hot topic of the moment and so it's natural that any conversation is going to start with the new UK Space Agency (UKSA).

Belgian Frank De Winne, the first European to command the International Space Station, is inspecting the new agency's logo...and the name: "So, how do you say it? 'Yuke-sar'?"

I don't think anyone is quite sure. Everyone is still just enjoying the moment.

Frank has an interesting British connection. He spent a year at MoD Boscombe Down, in Wiltshire, in the early '90s. It was at the former RAF station there that he passed the exams needed to become a test pilot.

His fellow pupil on the course was Thomas Reiter, who would eventually become the first European astronaut to be sent on a long-duration tour to the ISS.

Indeed, it was while at Boscombe Down that Reiter found out that he'd been accepted into the European Space Agency's Astronaut Corps.

Frank, on the other hand, was told he'd have to wait. He went into a reserve pool and was finally called up in 1998.

He returned to Earth in December and so is still involved in what they call "post-flight activities". He's continuing with some medical and science experiments connected with his OasISS mission, and - of course - he's giving plenty of talks.