Some 30 students at an elementary school in Mafikeng — a rural northwest provincial area 300 km from Pretoria — had a special treat on 2 May: an encounter with Captain Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian Airforce pilot and astronaut aboard the European Space Agency (ESA) International space station on the “Futura” mission. The radio contact was organised by the Embassy of Italy in Pretoria in collaboration with the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (Ariss), the South African Ministry of Science and Technology, the Italian and South African Space Agencies (Asi), as well as the Southern African Amateur Radio Satellite Association (Amsat), within the context of the “Ariss School Contact” project. Read more, in Italian.