European Space Agency – Inclusive Astronaut Recruitment
Nearly sixty years ago, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to venture into space and ever since, becoming an astronaut has been the dream of countless young people. To join an exclusive group of people who work tirelessly to experience what few cannot even imagine. The final frontier.
This month, The European Space Agency (ESA) announced that they will be making their recruitment more inclusive. During the March recruitment process to fill four to six vacancies in the astro corps, the ESA would like to invite people with disabilities to apply. The ESA have even requested the International Paralympic Committee to advertise the positions on selection.
The ESA highlights that successful candidates will be vital team members and provide meaningful contributions to space missions. The goal of the ESA’s inclusive recruitment process is to make “parastronauts” a reality. To determine what would be required and the cost associated with putting a person with a disability into space.
"We did not evolve to go to space so when it comes to space travel, we are all disabled," said Samantha Cristoforetti. "What brings us from being disabled to go to space to being able to go to space is just technology. This is a feasibility study and we're going to look into what exactly is needed, how much it will cost - but that's the goal."
For further information on the ESA application process, click here:
Alternatively, if you need further information on how to make facilities or services more accessible and inclusive, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected].
