New International Astronauts Introduced

By Nancy Atkinson - May 20, 2009 08:09 AM UTC | Missions

[/caption] ESA proudly presented today six new astronauts from five different European countries who will soon begin training for missions to the International Space Station. The last time ESA selected astronauts, back in the early 1990's, those astronauts were not guaranteed to have any actual flights in space. But the astronauts introduced today, which include three military pilots, two engineers, and one scientist, are slated to be part of at least seven opportunities to fly on a 6-month increment on the ISS. Additionally, an ESA official said he also hopes they can be part of an international lunar exploration program.

"This is the culmination of a life- long dream," said

Andreas Mogensen

, Denmark's first-ever astronaut. "Your parents and teachers always tell you to dream big, and to follow your dream. But no one tells you what it is like to achieve that dream. I think we're all in a stsate of shock, but we just have to enjoy the moment. I'm absolutely thrilled to be sitting here today."

In addition to Mogensen, the other astronauts are:

Samantha Cristoforetti, Italy Alexander Gerst, Germany Luca Parmitano, Italy Timothy Peake, UK Thomas Pesquet, France

Bios and pictures of the new astronauts.

They were selected following a Europe-wide recruitment process that started last year, which saw 8,413 valid applications. They are the first new recruits to join the European Astronaut Corps since 1992 under this second-ever astronaut selection carried out by ESA.

The earliest any of the new astronauts could fly to space would be 2013, said ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain. The new recruits will begin general astronaut training in September, which lasts for 18 months. After they receive flight assignments, astronauts then train for two years prior to flying in space.

"We are at a turning point in ESA's human spaceflight activities. Last year, with the launch of the Columbus laboratory and the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle, ESA became a fully-fledged member of the International Space Station partnership. We are now entering a new phase of utilisation of the unique capabilities offered by the ISS and preparation for international exploration of the Moon and beyond," said Dordain.

"This is a very important day for human spaceflight in Europe," said Simonetta Di Pippo, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight. "These young men and women are the next generation of European space explorers. They have a fantastic career ahead, which will put them right on top of one of the ultimate challenges of our time: going back to the Moon and beyond as part of the global exploration effort."

British journalists at the press conference expressed excitement but surprise that a UK citizen was chosen, as Britain does not contribute financially to ESA's human spaceflight program. But Dourdain said that Peake's qualifications stood out. "We took the best candidates, it didn't matter which country they were from."

Source:

ESA

, press conference

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson

Nancy Atkinson is a space journalist and author with a passion for telling the stories of people involved in space exploration and astronomy. She is currently retired from daily writing, but worked at Universe Today for 20 years as a writer and editor. She also contributed articles to The Planetary Society, Ad Astra (National Space Society), New Scientist and many other online outlets.

Her 2019 book, "Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions,” shares the untold stories of engineers and scientists who worked behind the scenes to make the Apollo program so successful, despite the daunting odds against it. Her first book “Incredible Stories From Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos” (2016) tells the stories of 37 scientists and engineers that work on several current NASA robotic missions to explore the solar system and beyond.

Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador, and through this program, she has the opportunity to share her passion of space and astronomy with children and adults through presentations and programs. Nancy's personal website is nancyatkinson.com