OTG/2.G/jbSpace: Astronaut Andreas Mogensen

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  3. Andreas Mogensen
  4. What have you learned about Andreas Mogensen from these passages?
  5. What questions do you still have?
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So how did you manage to actually become an astronaut?
In 2008, theEuropean Space Agencyannounced that they were looking for new astronauts. The last time that happened was in 1992. So, I applied, along with 8,500 other people. Then, slowly over several years, they decimated the number through a series of tests. I didn't think I'd passed the first test, but I kept on passing them and, in the end, I was one of the final six guys.

They chose six people out of 8,500 applicants?
Yes.

Wow. What were the tests like?
The first test was about our ability to focus – multi-tasking and stuff like that. The test took eight or nine hours. Then they tested how strong we were psychologically. Later, we were given a full medical check, where they looked for any possible reasons we may be unable go to space.

So you're incredibly healthy.
Yeah, I guess. Finally, we had to do two interviews in front of all the bosses of ESA.

2.

Andreas was selected as an ESA astronaut in May 2009 and completed the astronaut basic

trainingprogramme at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany in November

2010. Since completing the astronaut basic training programme, Andreas has been

trained and certified as a private pilot by the Lufthansa flight school and is trained and

qualified for spacewalks using both the American EMU spacesuit and the Russian Orlan

suit.

Andreas participated in the 2012 ESA CAVES underground training course, as part of an

international team of six astronauts, living underground for a week and exploring a cave

system in Sardinia. The ESA CAVES training is a space-mission analogue, focusing on

humanbehaviour and performance in extreme environments.

Andreas was also selected as a crewmember in two NASA Extreme Environment Mission

Operations (NEEMO) missions. He participated in the NEEMO 17 mission (also called

SEATEST 2) in September 2013 and in the NEEMO 19 mission in September 2014. Both

missions took place at the Aquarius undersea research laboratory, off the coast of Florida,

USA, as an analogue for space exploration missions.

3.

Andreas Mogensen is just hours away from fulfilling a childhood dream and carrying the pride of a nation with him into outer space.

The 38-year-old astronaut is currently in Kazakhstan, preparing to leave Earth early Wednesday morning Danish time as part of an international crew travelling to the International Space Station (ISS).

Mogensen's 10-day mission will include testing the European Space Agency's (ESA) new Skinsuit, which is designed to minimize the negative effects of weightlessness on the body. He will also carry out around 20 other research projects and will launch two small satellites created by Aalborg University to monitor ship traffic in the Arctic.

Joining Mogensen on the the Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft will be Kazakhstan's cosmonaut AydynAimbetov and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov.

The trio is expected to take over 50 hours to get to the ISS, first circling Earth more than 30 times.

4.

Denmarkis sending its first man into space – along with 26 Lego toys to keep him company on the journey.

Andreas Mogensen, a 38-year-old aerospace engineer from Copenhagen, will leave for the International Space Station on 2 September. The specially designed plastic toys joining him will bear the official logo of his mission for theEuropean Space Agency (ESA)and will be given to schoolchildren as a competition prize once the mission is complete.

Mogensen studied aeronautical engineering at Imperial College London before completing a doctorate in aerospace engineering at the University of Texas. He was selected as an astronaut in 2009. Now, he is embarking on a 10-day trip to the ISS as part of theIriss missionto test new technology and take photos of thunderstorms and lightning – nicknamed project Thor.