The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched an astronaut recruitment drive to attract Irish applicants for the human spaceflight missions of the 21st century.
The ESA is looking for applications across all 17 member states (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) and will select at least four astronauts for its Astronaut Corps for space exploration programmes.
Challenges
At the launch in Dublin, Gerhard Thiele, ESA astronaut and head of the European Astronaut Corps, said: “We want to find high-calibre men and women in Europe to prepare to meet the challenges of International Space Station (ISS) exploitation and human exploration of our solar system in the 21st century.
“Europe has long been involved in exploration, even before the days of Christopher Columbus. After exploring the Earth, space is the logical next step – and a new generation of explorers is needed to follow their illustrious predecessor Columbus and embark for those new worlds. We would encourage any potential Irish applicants to log onto the recruitment section of the European Space Agency to find out how to apply.”
Dr Jimmy Devins TD, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, stated: “Ireland has been a committed member state of the European Space Agency for many years. Through ESA projects, Irish high-tech companies and researchers have been able to participate in leading edge space-related developments and further develop our knowledge-based economy. I welcome this opportunity for Irish men and women to apply for this challenging programme.”
The application process begins on Monday 19 May and runs until 15 June. Irish applicants should follow these steps:
- Screening: The first step in the formal application will be online. Applicants will have to provide the same medical examination certificate as private pilots, the examination for which must be conducted by an Aviation Medical Examiner certified by his/her national aviation medical authority.
- Aptitude evaluation: Successful applicants must undergo two stages of psychological and professional aptitude evaluation, including behavioural and cognitive skills tests.
- Medical evaluation: This process includes clinical examination by aero- medical physicians and clinical specialists, laboratory screening tests, and special procedures.
- Formal interview: As potential ESA staff members, the astronaut candidates will go before an ESA selection board for further professional assessment.
The ideal astronaut candidate should:
- Be competent in relevant scientific disciplines, such as life sciences, physics, chemistry and medicine
- And/or be an engineer or pilot
- And should have demonstrated outstanding abilities in research, applications or the educational field, preferably including operational skills
In addition, characteristics expected of all applicants include a good memory and reasoning ability, concentration, aptitude for spatial orientation, and manual dexterity. Applicants should be fluent in English (Russian is also an asset) and should exhibit personality traits such as high motivation, flexibility, team competence, empathy with others and emotional stability.
The final appointments will be officially announced in Spring 2009. The selected candidates will then join the European Astronaut Corps and begin basic training at the European Astronaut Centre (ESA-EAC) in Cologne, Germany.
