Tag Archive for 'astronauts'

Astronaut Selection Proceeds in U.S., Canada

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Doug
on June 20, 2008
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National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign Closes in One Week
CSA Press Release

The Canadian Space Agency reminds Canadians that the National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign closes on June 26, 2008, with only one week remaining for candidates to apply to be considered for the Canadian Astronaut Corps.

By May 2009, two candidates taken from this process will be selected and begin their training to represent Canada in future space exploration missions, including long-duration spaceflights on the International Space Station. Among their tasks, astronauts will help assemble and maintain the Station and conduct scientific and industrial research enhancing the quality of life on Earth.

“The National Astronaut Recruitment Campaign is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Steve MacLean, CSA Chief Astronaut. “Anyone who is interested and who meets the minimum qualifications is strongly encouraged to apply. The CSA will conduct a thorough review to select the best candidates, and we hope to have the broadest possible pool of applicants.”

Since the Campaign launched on May 22, approximately 4,000 applications have been submitted. Approximately 20 % of all applicants to date are women.

U.S. Air Force Nominates 114 for Astronaut Program
USAF Press Release

The Air Force Astronaut Nomination Board has forwarded 114 nominations to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for consideration in the pilot and mission specialist categories. The board was held May 13 to 15 and the medical screening panel was held May 20 to 22. More than 200 noninees were considered. 

Forty-eight names were forwarded in the astronaut pilot category while 66 names were forwarded in the mission specialist category. Candidates from that pre-selection are then evaluated by NASA, with the highest-qualified individuals invited to Johnson Space Center, Houston, for interviews this fall.

Airmen selected by NASA will be detailed to the JSC astronaut office for a one-year candidacy program. They will enter the basic astronaut training program, contributing to the design, development and testing of the Ares launch and the Orion crew exploration vehicles. In addition, they will participate in planning for future human operations on the moon.

The Air Force nominees will compete with those nominated by the other services and civilian applicants. NASA selections are expected to be announced to the services in May 2009.

Generation Nerd: ESA Seeks New Astronauts

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Doug
on May 4, 2008
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A couple of brief updates on ESA’s search for its next generation of astronauts….

European Space Agency searching for Astronerds rather than Astronauts
Times of London

When European space chiefs begin sifting thousands of applications in a search for four new astronauts, they will not be interested in the kind of daredevil who pioneered space exploration. Instead they will be looking for scientists and engineers who display “team competence, empathy and emotional stability”. The European Space Agency wants astronerds rather than astronauts.

“We are not interested in the Right Stuff; we want the right staff,” a spokesman said.

Woman hopes to be Britain’s first astronaut
The Telegraph

There are currently eight ESA astronauts, all of whom are men from France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, but many are now retiring and need to be replaced. Dr. Tracey Dickens, 29, an astrophysicist at Leicester University, is one of the British women who is applying to replace them.

She said: “Since I was 12 years old, I have wanted to be the next British born astronaut. I could never understand why there have never been any more British females and I have always felt that if all those men can do it, then why can’t I?”

Japan, Canada Seek New Astronauts; Canadian Pundit Wonders Why

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on April 1, 2008
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With the first part of its Kibo module attached to the International Space Station, the Japanese space agency has decided to recruit 3 new members to its existing roster of 8 astronauts, Reuters reports.

“We hope to have more applicants this time than we did last time,” said Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency official Takahiro Abe. “Japanese will have opportunities to work for long periods at the International Space Station.”

Earlier this week, the Canadian Space Agency announced it will recruit additional astronauts. In the Ottawa Sun, columnist Greg Weston finds it sad that his country is recruiting new astronauts at a time when its top aerospace company, MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates, is selling its space division to an American defense contractor.

The Conservative government of Stephen Harper has until April 21 to decide on whether to approve or block the sale. MDA built Canada’s most famous contributions to human spaceflight, the two Canadarms and the Dextre robot.

Canadian Space Agency to Recruit New Astronauts

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on March 31, 2008
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CSA PRESS RELEASE

Longueuil, Quebec, March 31, 2008 – The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry Canada and the Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), announced at the Agency headquarters today that the CSA will begin a national astronaut recruitment campaign at the end of May 2008, to select astronauts to join its Canadian Astronaut Corps.

“Canadians are inspired when they see our astronauts in space, and they will be proud to learn that even more Canadian astronauts are about to be recruited,” said Minister Prentice. “I am pleased to join the Canadian Space Agency to announce this new national astronaut recruitment campaign. By May 2009, two astronaut candidates will be selected and will begin their training to represent Canada in future space exploration missions.”

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G. David Low, 52: Cerebral Astronaut Flew on 3 Shuttles

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on March 21, 2008
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NASA Astronaut G. David Low, 52, who flew on three space shuttle missions, died on March 15 of colon cancer in Reston, Virginia. He circled the earth more than 540 times during his 714 hours in space.

Low flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia in 1990, Atlantis in 1991, and Endeavour in 1993. During his last flight, Low and Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff conducted a nearly six-hour spacewalk to retrieve the free-flying European Retrievable Carrier.

Low continued to work for NASA for another three years following that flight. He served on the Russian Integration Team that helped to bring that nation into the space station program. He also worked with NASA Legislative Affairs.

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UK Considers Created an Astronaut Corps

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Doug
on February 18, 2008
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With private companies such as Virgin Galactic getting into the space game and the United States aiming for the moon, the UK government is launching a formal review to decide whether to create a British astronaut corps.

British officials launched the review because of concerns the country could lose out in the next phase of space exploration.

Officials also unveiled plans for a new European Space Agency facility in Harwell, Oxfordshire, which will focus on climate change, robotic space exploration and applications.

In an editorial, the Financial Times says that Britain should focus on these areas instead of an expensive if flashy astronaut program. Astronomer Royal Martin Rees weighs in with similar sentiments in The Times of London.