Astrium helps astronauts on their way to space
Bremen/Le Bourget, le 01 juin 2001
Assembly of the International Space Station is in full swing and so is the training of future crews. 120 men and women from Europe, the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and Brazil have to be prepared for their work in space with the help of a sophisticated training programme. Astrium, the largest space company in Europe, is closely involved in astronaut training by seconding instructors and providing technical systems to familiarise future crewmembers with the complex facilities to be operated in space.
Not everybody can become an astronaut. Physical and mental requirements are extremely high and the selection procedure is very severe. As early as 1992, the European Space Agency ESA started to recruit crewmembers for the space station. 22,636 applications were submitted to ESA; after a first pre-selection, about one fourth of these candidates seemed to be basically qualified. Following personal interviews and qualifying examinations, six astronaut candidates were selected. Europe will second 16 astronauts to the space station in the years to come. Most of these future astronauts do not have any space experience''.
New requirements due to long-term missions
In their function as crewmembers of the space station, astronauts have to be "all-rounders". They have to be familiar with the operation of transport vehicles, they need to know how to use robotic arms during the assembly phase, how to operate communication, navigation and station control systems, how to monitor experiments and how to quickly find appropriate solutions whenever a problem arises. As far as qualification is concerned, today's projects in manned spaceflight differ from the projects carried out in the past: whereas space shuttle missions were comparatively brief and required knowledge in how to handle a defined number of experiments, missions to the International Space Station last longer and demand a broad and varied spectrum of skills. Europe has, of course, some experience in training astronauts: German and European mission experts were onboard the space vehicles during the Spacelab, D1, D2 and Euromir missions. However, the number was limited and the tasks clearly defined. Under the direction of ESA, Europe has now had to develop a training programme for the space station which meet these changed requirements.
Astronaut training supported by the industry
Space companies such as Astrium were also involved in astronaut training in the past. Whenever the operation of supplied systems such as experiment equipment was concerned, development engineers from the companies involved provided future operators with all necessary information on proper handling of the systems. Due to the higher requirements in connection with the space station, Astrium selected four of its systems experts to undergo astronaut instructor training. Tasks comprise among others the preparation of training aids, the development of concepts for interactive learning systems and direct instruction of future astronauts. As far as content is concerned, instruction concentrates on the space station components supplied by Astrium with particular focus on the European laboratory Columbus, the automated transfer vehicle ATV and specific payloads (e.g. ovens for experiments from the materials science sector, medical and biological research facilities). In addition to the secondment of own instructors, Astrium supports astronaut training on specific scientific and industrial payloads to be accommodated onboard the space station.
Original copies of the systems enhance training
Training of the astronauts covers a period of 3.5 years and starts with basic instruction on the station's functions and features. Basic training also comprises flight and diving training (so-called parabolic flights to prepare astronauts for microgravity as well as underwater activities while wearing a spacesuit to familiarise astronauts with the restricted freedom of movement to be faced when working outside the space station) to be carried out in the training centres of the US Space Agency NASA. After a period of twelve months, basic training is followed by training on systems and payload operation. Emergency procedures are also included in the advance section of the training programme. On completion of the year-long advanced training, the astronauts will be prepared for their onboard tasks with particular focus on experiment control. In addition to ground training and computer simulation, the training concept also comprises practical training in the operation of systems and equipment to be used aboard the space station. For this purpose, the Cologne-based European Astronaut Centre EAC provides functional models of all the facilities required, including a full-scale mock-up of the Columbus laboratory module. At the EAC, which was established in 1990 as an ESA institution affiliated to Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt DLR, Astrium instructors do not only teach future astronauts in the operation of individual systems but also in the simultaneous handling of several facilities thus preparing them for conditions in space. As in the case of any training, this training also concludes with extensive examination of the relevant skills and knowledge gained by the future astronauts.
Working life in space will be similar to that of many people on Earth: 90-day missions on the average, five working days a week, eight hours of work a day plus two hours for fitness and a 30-minute crew briefing, two free days a week during which the station will be cleared up.
Astrium is a joint company of EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company and BAE Systems.
Paris/Le Bourget, June 2001
Your contact: Astrium Space Infrastructure
Mrs. Kirsten Leung
Phone: tel: +49-421-539-5326
fax: +49-421-539-4534
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