Astronauts of the European Space Agency.
 
Front line left to right: Paolo Nespoli, Roberto Vittori, Hans Schlegel, Christer Fuglesang, André Kuipers.
Back line left to right: Frank De Winne, Jean-François Clervoy, Leopold Eyharts.

Credits: ESA-J-L.Atteleyn

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ESA to recruit new European astronauts

Registration takes place online. The application website will be made available from Monday 19 May 2008.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 15 June 2008.

ESA's human spaceflight activities have entered a new era. It is now time for ESA to seek out new talent to bolster its Astronaut Corps for future manned missions to the ISS, the Moon and beyond.

The European Space Agency entered the annals of human spaceflight for the first time in 1978 with its first astronaut selection, followed in 1983 by the first Spacelab mission. Preparations for ESA's Columbus laboratory project, meanwhile, involved a second selection of astronauts in 1992.

The overall selection process will start on Monday 19 May and follow a well-established procedure.

"We want to find high-calibre men and women in Europe to prepare to meet the challenges of ISS exploitation and human exploration of our solar system in the 21st century. As of May 2008, ESA will be searching in each of its 17 Member States for the best candidates to make this vision a reality," says Michel Tognini, former astronaut and Head of the European Astronaut Centre.

ISS and beyond

ESA is readying its teams to take part in the human spaceflight missions of the 21st century. The solar system is the next objective for human exploration, and the world's great industrial powers are taking steps to prepare for this vast undertaking. Possessing an operational astronaut corps is an essential strategic asset if Europe is to take part in this endeavour.

"Europe has long been involved in exploration, even before the days of Christopher Columbus," said Daniel Sacotte, ESA's Director of Human Spaceflight, Microgravity and Exploration. "After exploring the Earth, space is the logical next step - and a new generation of explorers are needed to follow their illustrious predecessor Columbus and embark for those new worlds. I am therefore very pleased that at the beginning of 2009, we will be welcoming a new intake of men and women to the European Astronaut Corps to undertake missions to the ISS and beyond."

ESA needs to regenerate the European Astronaut Corps, increasing its size in order to successfully accomplish its present and future programmes. The Agency has therefore decided to initiate this process of selecting new astronauts. Candidates from 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) are welcome to apply.

An effort is made to achieve, in the long run, a corps with astronauts from all ESA Member States.

All You Need to Know

For full details, see www.esa.int/astronautselection

Candidates from all 17 ESA Member States are welcome to apply

So what is the right stuff?
"I don't think anybody - astronauts or otherwise - is born with some kind of right stuff. It's something you work into." Buzz Aldrin.
BBC News