Born in 1977, Samantha Cristoforetti is an Italian astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA), as well as former Italian Air Force pilot, and an engineer. She is one of the two female astronauts sent into space by ESA and the first Italian woman to become an astronaut.
Samantha holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a European astronaut, and also for the longest single spaceflight by a female astronaut. She has proven that women can break through the gender barriers in the highly elite field of space exploration, bravely pursuing their dreams and realizing their full potential.
German photographer Martin Schoeller, one of the most renowned contemporary portrait photographers, specializes in detailed close-up portraits of people. In 2017, he captured this outstanding female astronaut. These works, like those of all women who shine in their respective fields, tell the world that women, regardless of their professions or cultural backgrounds, together showcase moments of breaking gender barriers and realizing their full potential.
