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ESA astronaut candidates inside the Space Station mock-up at NASA's Johnson Space Centre
Science & Exploration

ESA astronaut candidates visiting NASA JSC

20/12/2023 390 views 5 likes 493145 ID

Members of ESA’s astronaut class of 2022 embarked on their first overseas field trip. They visited NASA’s facilities at the Johnson Space Centre (JSC) in Houston, Texas, USA, to get familiar with the environment where they will spend a significant part of their training once assigned to a mission.

Their week-long stay at JSC offered an ideal opportunity for the group to familiarize with their upcoming training environments, meet their soon-to-be colleagues and counterparts as well as taking part in specialized training events.  

First stop for ESA’s astronaut candidates: an immersive experience exploring the Space Station architecture through a full-scale mock-up. During their visit they were guided by ESA astronaut and lead of astronaut operations at the European Astronaut Centre, Alexander Gerst.

ESA astronaut candidates receiving a briefing session at NASA's Johnson Space Center
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ESA astronaut candidates briefed at NASA JSC

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ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano leading a tour for ESA astronaut candidates visiting NASA's Johnson Space Centre
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Guiding the next generation

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ESA astronaut candidates at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL)
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ESA astronaut candidates at NASA's NBL

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ESA astronauts and astronaut candidates at NASA's Johnson Space Centre
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ESA astronauts at NASA's JSC

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Alexander Gerst describes spacewalk training tools to ESA astronaut candidates
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ESA astronaut candidates exploring NBL

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