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Astronauts

Exploring our Solar System is one of humankind's most exciting adventures. ESA selected its first astronauts in 1978 for the 1983 Spacelab mission on NASA's Space Shuttle. Here you'll find more about our current astronauts – the class of 2009.

Alexander Gerst
Andreas Mogensen
Luca Parmitano
Portrait of ESA astronaut Marco Sieber. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Marco Sieber
Marcus Wandt
Matthias Maurer
Portrait of ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez Fernández. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Pablo Álvarez Fernández
Portrait of ESA astronaut Raphaël Liégeois. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Raphaël Liégeois
Portrait of ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Rosemary Coogan
Samantha Cristoforetti
Astronaut portrait - Sławosz Uznański. Credits: ESA - A. Conigli
Sławosz Uznański
Portrait of ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot. Credit: ESA – A. Conigli
Sophie Adenot
Thomas Pesquet
Astronaut portrait - Sławosz Uznański. Credits: ESA - A. Conigli
Sławosz Uznański

Sławosz Uznański training at the European Astronaut Centre

Posted on Friday August 2nd, 2024 by Marie Deschamps

Project astronaut Sławosz Uznański began his training at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne on 1 September 2023. Over the past months, he has been diligently preparing for his future space mission. Here’s a sneak peek into what these preparations looked like.  Back to the classroom Astronaut training includes many hours of theoretical classes […]

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Astronaut portrait - Sławosz Uznański. Credits: ESA - A. Conigli
Sławosz Uznański

ESA astronaut class of 2022: Astro Chat with Sławosz Uznański

Posted on Wednesday July 17th, 2024 by Laura

In Episode 10 of this ESA Explores podcast series, we spoke to Sławosz Uznański, an ESA project astronaut from Poland, about his training and preparations for a future mission to space.

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Podcasts

ESA astronaut class of 2022: Astro Chat with Alexander Gerst

Posted on Friday April 26th, 2024 by Laura

In Episode 8 of this ESA Explores podcast series, we chat with ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst about his role as head of astronaut operations at ESA's European Astronaut Centre, guiding the next generation of space explorers on their adventures.

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Training

A journey through ice and fire

Posted on Tuesday March 26th, 2024 by Laura

ESA astronaut candidate Rosemary Coogan from the UK mastering fire and frost during winter survival training in the snowy mountains of the Spanish Pyrenees as part of her basic astronaut training.

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Marcus Wandt

I need more space

Posted on Thursday January 25th, 2024 by Nadjejda

The design of buildings and spaces can greatly affect how people feel and perform. Windows, wall colours and even plants in a room can improve your productivity and mood. In extreme environments, the layout of a habitat becomes even more important.

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Podcasts

ESA astronaut class of 2022: Astro Chat with Marcus Wandt

Posted on Friday January 12th, 2024 by Laura

In the first episode of the ESA Explores podcast series on our 2022 astronaut class, ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt provides a glimpse into his spaceflight training ahead of his upcoming Muninn mission.

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Marcus Wandt

Isolation for space – Marcus in quarantine

Posted on Tuesday January 9th, 2024 by Nadjejda

All astronauts go through a quarantine period before flying to space. For decades, space travellers had to isolate to ensure that they are not sick or incubating an illness before their trip to space.

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Marcus Wandt

The story behind the Muninn mission patch

Posted on Tuesday October 10th, 2023 by Nadjejda

Patches are an integral part of every astronaut mission. Space agencies print out a cloth reproduction that astronauts wear during their flight, a tradition that started sixty years ago.

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