May 20, 2009, 14:39 GMT
Paris - The European Space Agency (ESA) on Wednesday presented six new astronauts to begin training for missions to the International Space Station (ISS) 'and beyond,' the Paris-based agency said.
The new ESA astronauts pose for photographers at the end of the press conference presenting them by European Space Agency (ESA) astronauts in Paris, France, 20 May 2009. The six new recruits will join the European Astronaut Corps and start their training to prepare for future missions to the International Space Station, and beyond. From L to R: Italian Luca Parmitano, German Alexander Gerst, Danish Andreas Mogensen, Italian Samantha Cristoforetti, BritishTimothy Peake and French Thomas Pesquet. EPA/HORACIO VILLALOBOS
The new space travellers are Samantha Cristoforetti and Luca Parmitano from Italy, German Alexander Gerst, Dane Andreas Mogensen, Briton Timothy Peake and Frenchman Thomas Pesquet.
The six were chosen from a pool of 8,413 applicants in a Europe-wide process that began last year, and are the first new recruits to join the European Astronaut Corps since 1992 under the second-ever astronaut selection carried out by the ESA.
'We are at a turning point in ESA's human spaceflight activities,' ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain said.
'We are now entering a new phase of utilization of the unique capabilities offered by the ISS and preparation for international exploration of the Moon and beyond,' he said.
The selection of the six new astronauts was made by taking into account flight opportunities planned by the ESA and also those programmed in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and NASA.
In addition to being scientists or technicians, four of the new European astronauts are also pilots, such as the team's only woman, Milan native Cristoforetti, who is a qualified fighter pilot.
In addition, Peake is a test pilot who has flown helicopters for the British Army, while the team's other Italian, Parmitano, was trained at the Italian Air Force Academy.
'This new phase required the recruitment of young talent able to draw on the experience gained by the existing astronauts,' Dordain said. 'They all represent the generation that will move from low Earth orbit to the Moon.'
ESA said that to qualify to become an astronaut, candidates should 'be knowledgeable in the scientific disciplines and should have demonstrated outstanding abilities in appropriate fields,' including having logged a minimum of 1,000 hours piloting various high-performance aircraft.
Pesquet called the profession of astronaut a 'dream job as well as a profession with an objective, to achieve scientific advances.'
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