The profession of astronaut is one of the most exciting, but it is also often very romanticized. Becoming an astronaut is not an easy path.
We have just experienced a historic feat: SpaceX has placed two NASA astronauts on the International Space Station, in the first commercial manned flight in history. This event has been followed live by thousands of people around the world. You too? Perhaps the historic SpaceX flight has sparked your curiosity about how to become an astronaut.
At the moment, humanity plans to return to the Moon in the Artemis project by 2024 ; and perhaps, settle there (thanks to the Gateway space station) to create a bridge to Mars, the next frontier to be conquered by human beings. But for this, we must have the best-prepared astronauts possible. The new challenges in space exploration also pose new profiles. How should the astronauts of the future be? How does your training have to be to face the physical dangers and psychological challenges posed by the imminent new space travel?
The Training Manager of the Galileo Control Center in Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany) Íñigo Muñoz Elorza , and the Clinical Neuropsychologist and Human Factors Specialist Gabriel G. de la Torre , taught some of the keys to human profiles in future travel during the presentation of the film in Madrid.
What is the profile of an astronaut like?
The astronaut’s profile has changed a lot over the decades. In early space missions, which were shorter, people sent on space travel often went alone. (Like Yuri Gagarin, first man in space) Therefore, the ideal is that they were strong people (physically and psychologically) and that they could react quickly.
Later, in missions such as the Apollo project or the Mercury project, we realized that these people must work well as a team, and the figure of the scientific astronaut was born. That is, people with a background in science, who had been trained for the harsh trips into space, instead of sending a military man to do research work. In fact, as Íñigo Muñoz Elorza recalls, the missions that obtained the best results during the Apollo project on the Moon were those that geologists attended (since they knew which rocks to collect).
Today the astronaut’s profile is much more diversified. Of course engineers, but also geologists, physicists, biologists … they are useful for missions in space; especially, the missions that lie ahead.
If you are considering becoming an astronaut, take a look at these tips, provided by two of the best experts in the field.
