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The process of selecting astronauts at the European Space Agency is ruthless from the start. On the first day, the candidates meet in Hamburg for six rounds of tests that follow each other, with breaks of 10 minutes between them. All are designed to highlight the weaknesses of people's "hard skills": mental calculation, visual perception, working memory, pattern recognition, concentration, etc. Most are abilities that can not be taught.
"The first day of testing, you are so exposed. There is no hiding place, "says Tim Peake, an army commander and former helicopter test pilot, who became ESA's first British astronaut in 2009." They analyze your brain and you have it. or not. I was more nervous about this step than anything else.
1. You are in a lunar vehicle and must return to the base. The journey normally lasts 9 hours at 72 km / h, but you must have them earlier. How long will it take to travel if you travel 8 mph faster? You have a minute and you can not use a calculator.
2. You are facing a cube that has a spot down. In your mind, roll the cube forward, right, right, forward, left, back, left. Where is the point now?
3. In a group, put these 10 words from the most common to the least common: de, be, and, a, who have, the, to, into, and I.
4. Another member of the team is on the bike machine when you have to use the equipment. Do you:
a) Go running on the treadmill instead?
b) Speak with Mission Control to reprogram your activities?
c) Interrupt the other crew member's exercise session to discuss the issue?
d) Continue with something else until the cycle machine is free?
5. How many points of intersection do five straight lines have in the same plane at the most?
a) 2
b) 5
c) 10
d) 4
6. Astronauts follow a six-step process for decision-making. In alphabetical order, these are: Control, Decide, Execute, Facts, Options, Risks. The good order of these steps gives what acronym?
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Replies: 1. 8 hours and 6 minutes; 2. on the merits; 3. The, be, of, and, a, in, who have, I; C. Exercise is important and the field medical team expects you to have some physical training at specific times. A quick conversation with your teammate will clarify the situation immediately. 5. C; 6. FORDEC: Facts, Options, Risks, Decide, Execute, Check
And yet, the first day is not the time when most people fail. Of the 8,172 people who applied to the European astronaut corps for the 2009 promotion, only 918 reached the first day of testing. While many of the 89% who fell at the first fence had submitted frivolous nominations or did not meet the entry requirements – they were too big, too short, no diploma, or did not show up. medical certificate – dozens of impressive candidates have also rejected: doctors, scientists, engineers and even other test pilots.
"People think it will be very difficult later and do not realize that the most difficult part of the selection is this form," said Peake. "Some of my friends, who are equally qualified test pilots, did not complete the application form and I think it was a lack of care and attention at this early stage."
Since the first men – and there were only men – were chosen for the Apollo program 50 years ago, the process of selecting astronauts was considered the maintenance of the astronauts. hiring the most difficult of the planet. It has also been shrouded in mystery. Now, as the European Space Agency plans to launch another astronaut call in 2020, Peake has written a process guide. For many, the astronaut selection test book: do you have what it takes for space? will be a great example of Betteridge's law. The journalistic saying says that any title that ends with a question mark can be answered in the affirmative: "No".
Some of the most crucial questions in the application form are extremely simple. Candidates are asked to explain in 750 words why they want to be astronauts. Gerhard Thiele, former head of the astronaut division of ESA in Cologne, tells Peake: "We have people who write five pages." Attention to detail matters, says Peake. In the space, you have to sweat the little things.
Another request if applicants are willing to settle in Cologne, where is the ESA astronaut training center. The agency is looking for more than one yes. Peake explained how the agency would help them in their move and help families, to show responsibility and confidence to question the authority.
Having to quickly solve puzzles increases the pressure on test days. On a question, a student runs 100 meters in 15 seconds and asks what time he will record if they run 2 km / h faster. Is it 13, 13.6, 13.8 or 14.2 seconds? The calculation is simple but there is no time to write the complete calculation: a mental shortcut helps.
Beyond basic arithmetic testing, there are puzzles that assess how fast and how fast people can rotate 3D shapes in their minds; extract critical information from disordered situations; to discern more and more complex models; and repeat the number chains upside down after hearing them on the headphones.
"You have to be a jack of all trades and hopefully a master of some trades," says Peake. "You do not have to be a genius, but you have to be very good in all areas. They are looking for a range of skills at all levels. "
There is a psychological element even in mathematics tests. Due to lack of time to answer all questions, candidates must make a call: should they finish but get wrong answers, or not finish without giving only correct answers? Here, the agency seeks a balance.
"They tend to pick people who pass the test by skipping the difficult questions and answering them. This means that they can prioritize their work. "
General skills are just as important. Nobody wants an astronaut who can determine in a few seconds how fast a fire will consume the air supplied to the International Space Station if they can not agree with the crew to react.
These are skills that have become more important since the Apollo era. Ultimately, the International Space Station will be entrusted to private companies. The European Space Agency, with agencies from other countries, will focus on a station orbiting the moon before a new era of lunar exploration. In a more distant future, Mars is, as always, on the horizon. When flying in deep space, you can not contact the Earth by radio in case of emergency: signals can take 20 minutes to travel back and forth.
"At the end of the day, someone will have to make some very difficult decisions for a trip to Mars without the benefit of ground liaison and the rest of the crew will have to respect this decision." Says Peake. . "Team skills are going to be absolutely essential."
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