Related MediaFeb 17, 2021 11:46:31 IST
The European Space Agency is holding its first astronaut recruitment campaign in 11 years and says more diversity is one of its goals. The European equivalent of NASA is trying to recruit more female astronauts this year, as well as people with disabilities who have always dreamed of going into space. “We are looking towards the Moon … and Mars. We need some great astronauts in the future, ”ESA Director General Jan Woerner said Tuesday. “To go further than we have ever been before, we need to look beyond what we have ever done before. ”
ESA astronaut body. Image credit: ESA
Only 65 of the more than 560 people who have ever gone into space are women. Of those 65 women, 51 were Americans. ESA has just sent two women into space – Claudie Haigneré and Samantha Cristoforetti – and they are now trying to correct the imbalance.
The group also said that “the time has come” to send disabled people into space as part of an initiative called the Parastronaut Capability Project. According to ESA, this is the first time a space agency anywhere has opened up the application process to people with disabilities.
“Representing all sections of our society is a real concern for us,” said David Parker, the organisation’s director of human and robotic research. “ESA diversity should not just address the origin, age, background or gender of our astronauts, but perhaps physical disabilities. ”
The group said, based on sections set by the International Paralympics Committee, it would first consider applications from people with lower limb or ankle defects, large differences in leg length, or under 130 centimeters high.
British astronaut Tim Peake welcomed the campaign, saying “we hope to change the landscape” so that people from mixed backgrounds can see “the opportunity here to be part of the new pioneers of space Europe. ”
The application process, group officials say, takes about 18 months before a handful of astronauts are selected.