2024-04-23 14:03:02
31 years after graduation Pedro DukeSpain already has another spanish astronaut. The European Space Agency (ESA) has just celebrated the graduation of the five astronauts of the class of 2022, among whom is Pablo Álvarez from Leon.
The French graduates have graduated with him Sophie Adenotthe Irish Rosemary Cooganthe Belgian Raphael Liégeois and the swiss Marco Sieber. While she does not belong to ESA, she has also received the title with them now astronaut of the Australian space agency Katherine Bennell-Pegg. This agency has a collaboration agreement with ESA, hence its new astronaut has participated in the same training program as the rest.
But what does this training consist of? What have the new Spanish astronaut and all of his companions done to get to this ceremony? The first steps, as they explained one by one after graduation, are the enthusiasm and desire since they were little. But, logically, there are many other requirements.
The steps of Pablo Álvarez to become the new Spanish astronaut
In 2021, ESA received 23,000 applications from people who wanted to become astronauts. The call specified that everyone had to meet several requirements, three of which were the most important: belonging to any of the member states of the European Union or associated states, have postgrads studies in an area of science and have 3 years of professional experience in those areas. Logically, it is also mandatory to have a fluent English. Other languages are not mandatory, but they are highly valued. In addition, the ESA values motivation, flexibility in the workplace, calm under pressure, being in good shape and health, both physically and mentally, and even communication skills, to carry the agency as its flag.
Following these premises, in the first phase we chose 1.000 personas who had to carry out a large number of tests after which only the 5 candidates who have now completed their training.
Pablo Álvarez has graduated along with four other astronauts. Credit: ESA
In the case of the new Spanish astronaut, Pablo Álvarez, he more than meets all the requirements. He is degree in aeronautical engineeringwith a master’s degree in Aerospace engineering. There we have the scientific postgraduate course. He also has enough years of work experience, as he has worked as a structural engineer for Airbus and Safran in Spain, United Kingdom and France. Within the first company, he worked as the rover’s mechanical architect. ExoMars from ESA and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. It was even project director for Airbus operations in Spain.
On the other hand, it meets the requirement of speaking English fluently, but to this language are added Polish, French and, of course, Spanish.
And now that?
Before graduating, Álvarez and his classmates have trained in several centers, especially in the ESA Astronaut Training Centerlocated in Cologne, Germany.
There, they have been trained in issues related to ship handling, robotics, flight engineering and communications. They have also performed survival maneuvers, first aid and control of life support machinery.
Of course, they have had to carry out a multitude of physical and psychological tests which, added to the training, have confirmed that they are ready to travel to space when required.
Pablo Álvarez and Sara García, the Spanish ESA astronauts.
We must remember that, in addition to this Spanish astronaut, we also have a Spanish woman among the reservists: the biotechnologist Sara Garcia. Of the members of this class, the only one who has already traveled to space has been one of the reservists. Let’s not rule out seeing her soon too. Be that as it may, both one and the other have become an example and have given us a new reason to dream about space.
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