UK’s new astronauts unveiled – GOV.UK | Daily News Byte

Following a rigorous selection process and the UK Space Agency’s record of investment in the European Space Agency, the UK has new career astronauts, paraastronauts and reserve astronauts (ESA), announced in Paris today (Wednesday 23 November).

Selected by Rosemary Coogan ESA As the third UK astronaut after Tim Peake and Helen Sherman, former Paralympian John McFaul became the first UK astronaut with a physical disability. Megan Christian has successfully completed the astronaut selection process and will become a member ESA Astronaut Reserve.

He is among the first astronauts to be unveiled ESA Since 2009. Just over 22,500 people applied for the astronaut call, which was launched last year, including 2,000 from the UK, while 257 people applied for the call for astronauts with physical disabilities.

This announcement was made at the conclusion of ESA Ministerial meeting in Paris where the UK Space Agency committed £1.84 billion in funding for new missions and programmes.

Science and Space Minister George Freeman said:

Tim Peake’s Principia mission showed us all how space has the power to inspire millions across the country, highlighting the UK’s role as a space science superpower. “Today’s announcement of the next UK set ESA Astronauts are a sign of international respect for both UK space scientists and the UK’s commitment to space for all.

Just as sports are the ultimate test of human endeavor on land, space represents the ultimate test of science and technology. “Just as the London 2012 Paralympic Games changed the global profile of the Paralympics, space is the ultimate environment to demonstrate our commitment to the values ​​of shared endeavor for the good of humanity and the planet. “I congratulate Rosemary, John and Megan on their extraordinary achievement and look forward to them inspiring a new generation.

Astronauts on the International Space Station support hundreds of experiments. This research helps develop new materials and medical treatments and provides a better understanding of basic scientific processes. It also provides the knowledge needed to send humans into space, to the moon and one day to Mars.

Astronauts also participate in research as human test subjects, studying the effects of space on the body to help researchers understand the aging processes that affect all of us on Earth.

Rosemary Coogan will join ESA Astronaut Corps and along with four other new career astronauts ESA Member States.

The call was a world first for candidates with physical disabilities and was open to those with lower limb deficiencies or those considered short in stature and meeting other recruitment criteria. ESA Plan to invest in necessary adaptations of space hardware to serve as crew members on space missions.

Successful candidates have undergone all screening, psychological, practical and psychometric test, medical selections and interview selection process.

Rosemary Coogan and her fellow new career astronauts will report ESAEuropean Astronaut Center (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, where they will begin basic training activities in 2023. For a year and a half, new recruits will go through intensive training sessions, including the physics of spaceflight, new languages, survival training, and how to fly a spacecraft. This will be followed by mission specific training which may take up to two years, once assigned to the mission.

John McFaul will be an essential part of the feasibility study to determine what needs to be changed, for example in the spacecraft or on board the ISS, to fly safely.

This is also the first time ESA It has established an astronaut reserve, which is made up of candidates who were successful throughout the selection process and were not recruited.

Will get consultancy contract from them ESAwhile staying with their current employers

Dr Paul Batt, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said:

This is an important day for the UK Space Agency, our space sector and the country as a whole. Through our investment in the European Space Agency, the UK is playing a leading role in space exploration and collaborating with international partners to use the unique vantage point of space to benefit life on Earth.

Space has an amazing power to inspire and I’m sure Rosemary, John and Megan will be heroes to many young people and inspire them to shoot for the stars. It is also important to remember that, behind every astronaut, there is a dedicated team of people, including the UK, working behind the scenes to achieve the incredible.

Astronaut positions are just one possible career path in the UK space industry, which generates £16.5 billion a year and employs 47,000 people in roles ranging from aerospace engineers, satellite technicians, research scientists to entrepreneurs and lawyers.

As set out in the National Space Strategy, the European Space Agency continues to be a close multilateral partnership for the UK.

Research shows that every £1 invested ESA Generates an overall return of £11.80 to the UK economy.

UK and human space exploration

The UK has been a member of the Space Agency ESA human exploration program since 2012, and today has invested £1.84 billion for programs ranging from space sustainability to supporting the UK-built Rosalind Franklin Mars rover and supporting the Earth observation sector. ESACouncil of Ministers meeting in Paris.

In 1989 Helen Sherman became the first British astronaut when she was selected for Project Juno. In May 1991, Sherman spent eight days in space and became the first female astronaut to visit the Mir space station.

Tim Peake was the first British recruit ESA Astronaut program in 2009. His six-month Principia mission to the International Space Station began on 15 December 2015.

More than 250 scientific experiments took place on the ISS during Tim Peake’s mission, and he underwent regular testing to record the effects of space and zero-gravity on his bones, muscles and organs — research to help inform future crewed space missions, possibly to Mars. . Peake was also the first UK astronaut to spacewalk.