What characteristics a future astronaut should possess?
After a ten-year hiatus in the selection process, Europe and the European Space Agency (ESA) are welcoming a new group of community Astro-travelers.
A bachelor's or master's degree in engineering is required, as well as three years of experience in the field of study. Piloting experience is required. A High and fluent command of the English language. Other language skills are an added bonus, and there is just one age restriction: you must be under 50 years old.
Do you have what it takes to meet these requirements? "It's one modest step for a man, one great leap for mankind," you can now remark. Perhaps you'll be the next astronaut to say these words in the coming years. The European Space Agency (ESA) set a deadline in April to find new visitors outside Earth's atmosphere, which was extended until June 18.
Dr. Sergi Vaquer Araujo, an ESA aerospace physician and one of the persons in charge of the project, describes it as a "window to see the Earth from afar," for which "it is not essential to be a superman or a superwoman." "In fact, a balance between all capabilities is sought," he continues.
Thirteen years after the last astronaut was hired, this agency begins its term. Candidates must live in one of the 22 ESA member nations -21 of the EU, including Spain, and the United Kingdom, though there are cooperation agreements with the rest of the community partners-, but most importantly, "be able to function under stress and so make smart decisions," Vaquer explains.
This new crew of astronauts will be in charge of returning to the Moon and, possibly, landing on Mars. "These astronauts need to be more determined; they need to know and understand certain things," says this medical expert. "If I want them to pull a tooth, suture a wound, or do an electrocardiogram from Earth, they must be able to do it," he says.
This is one of the occasions where the ESA emphasizes the importance of the preparation that those selected will get. "And it's a long-term training program," Vaquer adds. After a six-phase process, the final selection process among all applicants who have signed up will begin in October 2022.
There's also an opening for the parastronaut feasibility project, which will choose persons with physical limitations, making it the first aerospace organization in the world to do so.
If the last call's numbers are duplicated, potential astronauts will have to compete with thousands of others. In 2008, around 10,000 people applied for only six positions. Seven astronauts are now active, six men and one woman, who were selected in May 2009. Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom are represented.
ESA is looking for a generational replacement for a new period with various hurdles to overcome a decade later. If the Moon was the focus of attention in the previous century, Mars is now the focus of attention. Last February, three missions from three separate countries: the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates, began a dream.