Dr Rosemary Coogan: selection for ESA only “the beginning of the journey”
Following in the footsteps of European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake and Helen Sharman (the first British person to go into space), ESA astronaut Dr Rosemary Coogan explained that the selection process is only “the beginning of the journey”.
Following a six-stage selection process in 2022, Coogan (who holds a PhD in astrophysics) was subsequently selected for basic astronaut training; something she has spent the last year immersed in in preparation for her first mission to the ISS, which will be between 2026 and 2030.
This comprehensive selection process included writing a motivation letter, computer-based aptitude tests, spatial awareness and memory assessments, teamwork analysis, and traditional interviews alongside physical and psychological assessments. 13 months of basic raining them commenced in April 2023, following an internationally-agreed syllabus, encompassing a mixture of classroom-based and hands-on training (including experiences in the centrifuge and onboard parabolic ‘zero-gravity’ flights).
Coogan cites the most challenging element of this training as its sheer depth and intensity, whereas her PhD was more singularly focused. “In your role as an astronaut, because you’re facilitating the science of so many different scientists on the ground who all have completely different interests and different experiments, you need to have quite a broad understanding,” she revealed.
And whereas the space sector may be traditionally seen as a male-oriented area, Coogan is definitely seeing much more diversity in terms of gender and individuals’ backgrounds. In ESA’s 2009 selection, one out of seven successful candidates was female: of her recent cohort to complete basic training, two out of five trainees were female. Of the seventeen overall selections (including two reserves), gender representation is almost 50-50, she added.
However, recognising that “being an astronaut isn’t the only job in the space sector” – with astronauts’ missions supported by many thousands more people – Coogan would encourage all young people interested in a career within the space sector to look into what options are available. An increasingly intentional shift across “teachers, parents [and] organisations” can also have a hugely positive effect of how a young person views their opportunities, she concluded.
