ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst, an experienced spaceflyer, spacewalker, and former ISS commander, shares insights into his role as head of astronaut operations at ESA’s European Astronaut Centre. Tune in as he talks with us about guiding the next generation of astronauts through training and preparing them for their future in space exploration.
This is Episode 8 of our ESA Explores podcast series, delving into everything you want to know about the ESA astronaut class of 2022. Recorded in April 2024.
Find out more about Alexander: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Astronauts/Alexander_Gerst
About the ESA astronaut class of 2022: https://blogs.esa.int/exploration/category/astronauts2022/esa-astronaut-candidates/
About astronaut operations at EAC: https://www.esa.int/About_Us/EAC/Operations
Glossary: AsCan – Astronaut Candidate, EAC – European Astronaut Centre, EUROCOM – European Communicator and Medical Operations, EVA – Extravehicular Activity
Host and audio editing by Laura Zurmühlen, featuring music by Denzel Lorge and cover art by Gaël Nadaud.
Tune in to ESA Explores episodes via all major podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Podbean, Amazon Music, Deezer and more.
ESA Explores cover art by Gaël Nadaud.
About the ESA Explores: ESA astronaut class of 2022 series
In this series of our ESA Explores podcast we’ll take you behind the scenes to meet with our new astronauts, as they are gearing up for upcoming missions to the International Space Station and beyond. Back in November 2022, the European Space Agency selected 17 members from 22,500 applicants across its 22 member states for a new astronaut class. Five of them commenced basic astronaut training with ESA in April 2023, while another 11 members form a reserve pool, ready to be selected for future missions. In this podcast, we’ll introduce you to their stories and experiences from basic astronaut training at the European Astronaut Centre in Germany and worldwide, into the exciting world of space exploration. Tune in to gain insights into the first steps of astronaut training as we hear from our future astronauts, space explorers, and guiding experts, following Europe’s path to space exploration.