The meeting was opened by Igor Ivan, Rector of VŠB-TUO, and the subsequent debate with Aleš Svoboda was moderated by Radek Martinek, Dean of the Faculty.

Aleš Svoboda took the audience through his professional career – from his studies at the University of Defense to his first flight in a Gripen fighter jet to his current work on the F-35 project team. He described what the work of a military pilot entails and what technologies are shaping modern aviation today.

He also talked about his preparation for a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He is currently undergoing intensive training at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) as part of the Czech Journey to Space project.

During the discussion, he touched on topics related to space training, parabolic flights, and psychological and technical preparation for a stay in space. He and Dean Radek Martinek also talked about the activities of XSpace and Elon Musk's influence on current space exploration.

They paid special attention to the cutting-edge research of FEI VŠB-TUO and the projects that have been selected for implementation on the International Space Station as part of his upcoming mission.

We would like to thank everyone for their participation and we believe that the meeting was inspiring for both students and staff and brought them closer not only to the world of fighter pilots, but also to space travel. Perhaps it is stories like these that will encourage current and future students to aim high.