Carmen Possnig: Austria's hope for the next astronaut mission!

Carmen Possnig: Austria's hope for the next astronaut mission!

The Austrian Carmen Possnig (36) has achieved an impressive milestone in her career as astronaut: she successfully completed her astronaut training and is now one of the twelve reserved astronauts of the European Space Organization (ESA). She has prevailed from more than 22,500 applicants from all over Europe, which secures her a place in the elite team. To do this, Krone that Possnig has been going through an intensive two -month program in the European Astronaut Center (EAC) in Cologne since January. This training included diving training and a demanding winter survival training in the Spanish Pyrenees.

Winter survival training challenged the prospective astronaut in a variety of ways. As Possnig describes, she and her colleagues learned to survive under extreme conditions such as minus 15 degrees Celsius in a simulated emergency situation. Such exercises are particularly important in order to prepare them for potential emergencies in space if a space capsule should end up in inaccessible terrain. As part of her theoretical training, she acquired an additional knowledge of biology and laboratory work, which are important for her cart, such as "https://www.derStandard.at/story/300000000247559/Alzetronautin-carmen-possnig-ich-ichtraeume-davon-mars-zum---mars-blein reported.

path to space

Carmen Possnig researched in the Antarctic at the Concordia station, where in 2017 and 2018 they gained important knowledge of life in isolation under extreme conditions. The experiences from this time that helped the ESA to understand the stress of a space mission are a valuable basis for their dream to travel into space. The next training block in autumn will include survival training on the high seas and a parabolic flight to the simulation of weightlessness.

whether Possnig actually flies into space depends on political decisions and the available financial resources. The five career aids who have already received a contract with the ESA have been intensively prepared for future space missions, while the reservists, which also include Possnig, are temporarily in their current appointments.