Astronaut

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56072219

The European Space Agency is calling for new recruits to their astronaut training programme and for the first time they are asking for people with disabilities to apply. Previously people with disabilities were not allowed to apply.

Dr David Parker, director of human spaceflight programme says, “This is not about tokenism. We have to be able to justify to all the people who fund us – which is everybody including people who happen to be disabled – that what we’re doing is somehow meaningful to everybody.”

EAS recognises it needs to be better at diversity and inclusion. Currently only one of its astronauts is female (Samantha Cristoforetti pictured above) and they have only one female senior director. The last call for astronauts was in 2008 and then only 16% of applicants were female.

These are the things you need to apply to be an astronaut:

-          A Masters Degree in Natural Sciences, Medicine, Engineering, Mathematics or Computer Sciences, or to be qualified as an experimental test pilot

-          Fluent in English and a second language. You will also be taught Russian as part of the training because Russian is the other language used on the space station

Samantha says, “We did not evolve to go in to space so when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled. What brings us from being disabled to go to space to being able to go to space is just technology.”

-          What is an astronaut?

-          Why do you think in the past, so few women have been astronauts?

-          Why is this changing today – what does this show us about ideas changing?

-          What does inclusion mean?

-          “This is not about tokenism” what is tokenism, what does Dr Parker mean by this statement?

-          “What we are doing is meaningful to everyone” why?

-          “We did not evolve to go in to space so when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled.” What does this mean?

-          “What brings us from being disabled to go to space to being able to go to space is just technology.” What is Samantha saying about differences in people?

-          What can we learn from the ESA?

-          Why is this about No Outsiders?

"No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat 

www.no-outsiders.com