NASA and its international partners officially approved the crew of the fourth private astronaut mission Axiom Space (AX-4). Within it, a group of astronauts will go to an international space station on board Crew Dragon, belonging to the SpaceX. The rocket will take them into space Falcon 9. The mission will start from the Cape Canaveral Space Center of John F. Kennedy not earlier than in April 2025 and will last about 14 days.
On Thursday, the Axiom Space press conference was held, in which the AX-4 mission crew took part. One of its members is Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a Polish scientist who has been the design astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA) since September 2023.
The first Polish flight into space took place in 1978. We were the fourth country in space. As a child raised in the 1980s, I could only dream that one day I would become an astronaut myself. My childhood dream is just fulfilled
– emphasized clearly moved Sławosz Uznański during the Axiom Space conference. Uznański noticed that he was born on April 12, i.e. on the anniversary of the first flight into space, Yuri Gagarin. “At every birthday, my mother wished me all the best on the occasion of the Cosmonaut’s Day,” said Uznański -Wiśniewski.
A second Pole in space. “I have a special bond with Hermaszewski”
Dr Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, which will become the second – after Mirosław Hermaszewski – a Pole in space, will be done at the ISS as part of the Polish scientific mission Ignis (implemented by the Polish Space Agency and the European Space Agency). As a mission specialist during his stay at an international space station, he will conduct a number of experiments related to, among others with microgravity.
Today I represent Poland and a whole generation of Poles – scientists, teachers, students. All who contribute to the development of science at a local global level. We want to show that space is not only for the largest. It is for everyone
– emphasized Uznański-Wiśniewski.
– I have a special bond with Mirosław Hermaszewski. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us and he will not be able to follow our mission. However, he participated in the process of my selection and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity and support received to me – noted Uznański -Wiśniewski asked about the first Polish astronaut.
I can proudly say that I will take a flag with me, which Hermaszewski had on his suit during his mission
he added.
He will take into space … dumplings. “I hope they will be as tasty as on earth”
Astronauts were also asked about it Do they plan to take some delicacies related to their local cuisine into space. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski admitted that he intends to take … dumplings on board.
When I found out that as part of the mission I would be able to participate in the food preparation project, which we will take with us at the ISS, I immediately thought about dumplings. I have established cooperation with a small Polish company that developed a technological process, thanks to which – as I hope – dumplings in space will be just as tasty as on earth.
– explained the Polish astronaut.
The AX-4 mission will be managed by the legendary American astronaut Peggy Whitson, who acts as a manned space director in Axiom Space. Peggy Whitson is the first woman who commanded an international space station, as well as a record holder among women in terms of the longest total stay in space and in terms of total length of space walks.
I am honored to guide this mission. It has been over 40 years since the astronaut from Poland, India or Hungary had a space journey. We are glad that we can develop space programs in these countries. I believe that this crew will inspire subsequent generations
– emphasized Peggy Whitson during the conference. “We are waiting for two very intense weeks at the ISS. We plan to conduct a series of scientific experiments,” added the American astronaut.
Whitson admitted that she had a big problem with pronouncing the name “Sławosz”, which is why the Polish astronaut quickly received the nickname “Slaw” from the crew. The head of the AX-4 mission also admitted that her scientific work dr. Uznański. “If you think he is a nerd, you don’t even know half,” she joked.
The crew assigned to the mission also includes a pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India (experimental pilot of the Indian Air Force) and a mission specialist Tibor Kapu from the head. For them both, as for Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, it will be the first flight into space.
The AX-4 crew has been undergoing intensive training in centers around the world for many months, including the European Center of ESA Astronauts in Germany, as well as at Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX centers in the USA and Jax in Japan. The purpose of these trainings is to provide the crew with the necessary skills and knowledge to implement the mission.

Who is Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski?
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski comes from Łódź. He associated his scientific career with the research of radiation, including cosmic. He graduated at the Lodz University of Technology in 2008, obtaining a master’s degree in engineer. He obtained this title at the University of Nantes in France, also in 2008, and at the same time he defended the title of engineer at the Nantes University of Technology.
In 2011, he defended his doctorate at the AIX-Marseille University in France, where he dealt with research on elements resistant to radiation for space applications. During his studies he worked as a radiation effect engineer at Stmicroelectronics.
He built his further career in a dream of space. After graduating from Sławosz Uznański – already as a doctor – he joined the CERN scientific and research center (European nuclear research organization) in Geneva, where he still works on, among others Hadron LHC Hadrone collide.
Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski in November 2022 became a member of the ESA astronauts reserve corps. From September 1, 2023, after undergoing preparatory training for future space missions, he plays the role of ESA project astronaut.
Source: Gazeta

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