The specially trained woolly astronaut, Shaun the Sheep has been assigned a seat on the Artemis I mission to the Moon. This series of ESA blog posts covers Shaun’s training and preparations leading up to launch.

There are many requirements and much training to undergo to become an astronaut, so when ESA had the opportunity to work once again with Aardman, creator of many much-loved animated characters, it seemed there was only one sheep for the job! Shaun the Sheep has previously been seen experiencing ‘weightless’ conditions during a parabolic flight on the Airbus ‘Zero G’ A310 aircraft in preparation for his out of this world feature film adventure: A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, released in 2019. This baa-rilliant adventure took Shaun beyond Mossy Bottom Farm and into the exhilarating world of space exploration.

What are space sheep made of?

What makes astronauts special is the ability to perform in situations of high stress, to be ready to deal with failures and to be determined to succeed. Shaun the Sheep can often be seen experiencing many of these qualities through the fantastic and thrilling adventures he encounters, making him the perfect ESA ambassador for the Artemis I mission to the Moon.

Requirements

There are many requirements and several tests a potential astronaut must experience before taking part in a space exploration mission. These requirements not only take qualifications and personal skills into account but also the astronaut’s health and physical condition.  Astronauts are required to undergo moderate to arduous physical exertion on their mission, which could involve walking, running and crouching – something Shaun is very familiar with through the many capers he has undertaken as the leader of The Flock!  

Other areas of testing also include hearing, communication and eyesight. They can also be exposed to many forms of inclement weather so they need to be fit and healthy to face anything that may occur whilst on their mission.

The selection process

During the application process, ESA need to ensure astronauts have strong motivation and the ability to cope with irregular working hours, frequent travel and long absences from home.  They need to remain calm under pressure during dozens of cognitive, technical, motor coordination and personality tests too, demonstrating the ability to work efficiently in an intellectually demanding environment.

Shaun was no exception to the rule. ESA needed to ensure Shaun the Sheep was fit to fly in order to get him ready for his first spaceflight to the Moon and back!

ESA astronaut selection poster