Training for the stars: Rosemary Coogan on becoming an astronaut

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: Rosemary Coogan, an ESA astronaut and astrophysicist from Northern Ireland, discusses her path from a lifelong interest in space to astronaut selection and training. The conversation covers her research background, intensive ESA training, ISS life, language learning, diversity in astronaut selection, and the future of human spaceflight beyond the ISS.

Main Topics: From childhood ambition to ESA astronaut (Priority: 5/5): Coogan describes wanting to be an astronaut since childhood, but only pursuing the path seriously when ESA opened applications at the right point in her career. Astrophysics background and research career (Priority: 5/5): She explains her physics and astrophysics education, including galaxy evolution research, and how that scientific training supports astronaut problem-solving. Astronaut training and operational skills (Priority: 5/5): The interview details basic training, survival training, medical preparedness, Russian language study, flying, and mission-control preparation. Spacewalk and microgravity simulation (Priority: 5/5): Coogan describes underwater EVA training in Houston and parabolic flights as practical simulations for working in reduced gravity and outside the ISS. Life and work aboard the ISS (Priority: 4/5): The discussion covers isolation, inside-only living, telemedicine, emergency procedures, and how astronauts manage reading, communication, and health in orbit. Diversity and the changing astronaut profession (Priority: 4/5): Coogan reflects on broader astronaut selection, including gender and background diversity, and the shift toward commercial low-Earth-orbit stations after the ISS. Future missions to ISS and beyond (Priority: 4/5): She outlines the expected ESA mission timeline, her colleague Sophie Adenot’s earlier flight, and the long-term possibility of Artemis and lunar missions.

Key Arguments: Astronauts are no longer selected mainly as pilots; ESA has broadened the profile to include scientists and other specialists. A strong science background is valuable for astronauts, not because they need deep subject expertise on orbit, but because it develops analytical and operational thinking. Much of astronaut training is classroom-based and interdisciplinary, not just the dramatic survival or EVA activities shown publicly. Underwater neutral-buoyancy training is a very good approximation of spacewalk work, though it differs from true microgravity in important ways. The ISS demands medical readiness because serious illness is harder to treat in space, making astronaut health screening essential. Diversity improves team problem-solving and helps show that there is not one narrow route into space careers. The end of the ISS does not end human presence in low Earth orbit; commercial stations will likely replace the current model. Astronaut careers are team-based and mission timelines depend on national and agency-level decisions rather than individual preference.

Data Points: ESA astronaut recruitment gap: 13 years - ESA announced its first new astronaut recruits in 2022 after a long gap since the previous intake. Planned ISS mission window: 2026-2030 - Coogan and fellow ESA career astronauts are slated for missions to the ISS during this period. Basic training duration: 2.5 years - She says minimum training lasts about two and a half years. EVA training duration in Houston: 7 months - Coogan completed underwater spacewalk training at Johnson Space Center over seven months. Parabolic flight microgravity period: 22 seconds - Each parabola provides about 22 seconds of reduced gravity for training and experiments. ISS end-of-life year: 2030 - She notes the International Space Station is expected to end its life in 2030. ESA member states: 22 - Astronaut mission assignments are tied to ESA’s 22 member states and associated national considerations. First cohort member going to ISS: 2026 - French colleague Sophie Adenot is expected to go to the ISS next year, making her the first of the cohort to fly.

Pivotal Quotes: "I think I started thinking, oh, maybe I'll become an astronaut already when I was absolutely teeny tiny." — Rosemary Coogan: She explains that the desire to become an astronaut has existed since early childhood. "I think there are lots of really, really interesting pathways within space and the space sector." — Rosemary Coogan: She reflects on combining scientific research with exploration and mission operations. "There is not one way to come to something." — Rosemary Coogan: She emphasizes diversity and multiple routes into the astronaut profession.

Implications: The interview shows how astronauting is becoming more interdisciplinary, more diverse, and more operationally complex. It also signals a transition from the ISS era toward commercial low-Earth-orbit stations and new lunar opportunities.