Requirement of ready astronauts to go up – Swedish astronaut

The requirement of ready astronauts will go up with space scientists looking at international co-operation in increasing manned space missions in future, said Sweden’s first astronaut Christer Fuglesang.

Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Fuglesang said European Space Agency (ESA) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the USA would be reducing the duration of astronaut training programme with a view to meeting the increased requirement of astronauts for manned space missions.

Fuglesang, who was in Bangalore to announce Sweden’s initiatives to collaborate with India in the field of science and technology, said the present duration of astronaut training stretches to three years. He said efforts were underway to shorten the duration to less than two years.

The Swedish astronaut, who is presently supporting the activities of ESA and NASA, said the space organizations devote about two years for general astronaut training followed by a year of specialized training on simulated systems for familiarization. “The general understanding is to increase the number of active astronauts by reducing the training period”, he said.

Fuglesang also referred to ESA Director General Jean Jacques Dordain’s recent call to embark upon manned space flights in an effort to extend the life of the International Space Station (ISS), which NASA is planning to phase out by 2015-16.

However, ESA, which is for the first time directly contributing to the ISS, sees the 2015-16 deadline as too early for it to conduct sustained experiments on board the space station.

Besides, ESA is sending the Columbus space laboratory to 12.8 tonne ISS and will carried by Space Shuttle Atlantis. Columbus and an automated transfer vehicle, an unmanned cargo ship to ferry food and material for astronauts on space stations, would be ESA’s first contribution to the ISS and launch is scheduled to be on December 6 this year, he said.