Andreas Mogensen, a Danish aerospace engineer, has been chosen by the European Space Agency (ESA) to join the elite European Space Agency Astronaut Corps. Mogensen earned the honour by making the cut from a list of 8,413 applicants last year. Only six were chosen from the huge field, including the lucky 32 year-old Mogensen.
Mogensen’s specialty is the guidance navigation and control of spacecraft, which he is currently researching at the University of Surrey. At the ESA press conference, covered by the JP news agency, Mogensen said he was proud and thrilled to have been selected for the space programme.
“It is the culmination of a life-long dream that began with the awe and sense of adventure that embodies human space exploration,” he stated. Jean-Jacques Dordain, the Director General of ESA, commented that the astronauts were all chosen purely for being the best in their field.
Since the ESA does not have its own fleet manned spacecraft, European astronauts must wait for a place on an American or Russian space journey in order to do their work aboard the International Space Station.
Besides naming the first Dane to their roster, the ESA also selected the first woman to ever join the corps, an Italian combat pilot. The other four new members will join the existing eight-man crew of European astronauts.
James said:
“IN LESS THAN 20 YEARS WE WILL HAVE THE FIRST COLONY IN MARS”
Hopefully they’ll have a CapsLock key on Mars.
I think they test for one’s capslock usage ability during their training.;)
Poor colonists :-)
“I THINK THAT IF THE GUY GOING TO SPACE WITH THE ESA *WAS ICELANDIC* THEN EVERYONE IN ICELAND WOULD ….”
THIS IS NOT ABOUT PRESENTING PLACES AS HORRIBLE. IT IS ABOUT COMMENTING ON THE ARTICLES. AS MOST OF THE ARTICLES ARE RELATED TO ICELAND AND ITS SITUATION, YOU CAN EXPECT LOTS OF COMMENTS THAT WILL EXPOSE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS.
IN THIS CASE, PEOPLE STARTED COMMENTING HERE THINGS LIKE “ESA IS MISERABLE”, WHAT KIND OF COMMENT IS THAT AND WHERE IS BRINGING US?? CERTAINLY NOWHERE…
BUT WHEN I COMMENT ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE AN ICELANDIC REALITY, AND SHOWS IT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE PEOPLE ( LIKE ME) THAT HAVE NO PROBLEM IN SPEAKING OUT… THEN I AM TAKING STEPS INTO DENOUNCING THAT ICELAND NEEDS TO CHANGE AS A COUNTRY, THAT ICELAND IS REALLY ACWARD IN MANY THINGS AND IS BEING LEFT BEHIND IN THE GLOBAL PROCESS FOR MANY REASONS AND IN MANY ASPECTS.
I HAVE EXPOSED MANY TIMES THAT THIS WORLD IS GETTING MORE INTERCULTURAL, THAT HUMANITY IS SHARING KNOWLEDGE, LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER AND GROWING. WHILE ICELAND IS REALLY CLOSED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD AND IS A COUNTRY THAT LIVES ON THE VIKING IDENTITY AND ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE HAS NO PLACE IN THE NATIONAL CULTURE, STILL, ICELANDERS DRINK COCA-COLA, USE COMPUTERS DESIGNED IN CALIFORNIA AND ASSEMBLED IN CHINA, DRINK INDIAN TEA, WEAR ITALIAN SHOES AND WATCH 80% OF ITS TV PROGRAMS IN ENGLISH.
ICELANDERS REALLY NEED TO OPEN TO THE WORLD, IF NOT, IS GOING TO BE LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES IN THE PAST, THAT SOMETIME IN THE HISTORY THEY JUST GOT STUKT THERE BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WANT TO CHANGE.
I THINK THAT IF THE GUY GOING TO SPACE WITH THE ESA THEN EVERYONE IN ICELAND WOULD BE MAKING A PARTY AND MAKING HIM A NATIONAL HEROE… AND THEN YOU WOULD NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT THE OTHER NATIONS PARTICIPATING AND THE IF THAT GUY WAS GOING IT WAS MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE COOPERATION OF MANY COUNTRIES.
ICELAND IS NOT PARTICIPATING OF ALL THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY… AND FOR THAT SOME PEOPLE HERE SAID THAT ESA IS MISERABLE.. AND AS THAT YOU WILL KEEP, AS NARROW MINDED PEOPLE THAT DON´T WANT TO COOPERATE WITH OTHER NATIONS, AS CLOSED MINDED SOCIETY DANCING AROUND THINKING THEY ARE VIKINGS, LIVING 1.000 YEARS AGO… KAMON, GIVE ME A BREAK!!
ICELANDIC SOCIETY AND ECONOMY IS A TOTAL FAILURE LIKE IT HAS BEING UNTIL NOW, THE OLD SYSTEM NEEDS TO CHANGE AND THE SOONER THE BETTER! EVERYONE KNOWS THIS COUNTRY HAS ( AS YOU SAY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE) PRETTY HEAVY STUFF TO DEAL WITH… SO STOP DENIYING AND LETS GET INTO DISCUSSION.. LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, HOW COULD ICELAND PARTICIPATE OF SUCH PROJECTS?? MAYBE MANY ICELANDERS COULD STUDY IN EU, MAYBE THERE IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT THAT ICELAND COULD DO…
“IN LESS THAN 20 YEARS WE WILL HAVE THE FIRST COLONY IN MARS”
Hopefully they’ll have a CapsLock key on Mars.
NO WAY! Italy had zero GDP growth for many years before 2009 (negative value this year and probably on 2010 too) and it ranks overall at the bottom among EU15.
It’s a false myth, Italy loves to show a fake and our real side …. just ‘google’ around ;) I don’t want to pollute anything here, but if you are lazy (and too stubborn) to looking for useful sources, here you are some (written BEFORE year 2009, during ‘better’ times):
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/07/07/afx5186895.html
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Security/?id=1.0.2047266061
http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.2508905285
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/world/europe/13italy.html?_r=3&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/3524/immagineghb.th.jpg
http://www.thelocal.se/15948/20081126/
http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/4600/48/
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article4431914.ece (good people, huh?)
-and more-
@SIR CAPSALOT,
I still don’t get your total lack of hope for your own country yet complete blind praise for other places. Every place you have mentioned has their own deeply rooted problems that can go head to head with Iceland’s. But that doesn’t make Spain, Italy, or many other places horrible countries. And neither is Iceland.
oh, and you are boring me to tears.
DENSOU, YOU NEED TO EAT BETTER…
MILANO IS THE WORLD LEADER IN DESIGN, IN TORINO THE FASTEST AND BEST CARS IN THE WORLD ARE BUILT ( MASSERATTI, FERRARI, ETC…)
IN SOME PARTS OF ITALY THERE IS A GOOD CONVERVATION OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE, BECAUSE ACTUALLY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE WHOLE HUMANITY. AND LETS FACE IT, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE GO TO ITALY TO VISIT THOSE PLACES, WHERE GREAT EXAMPLES OF ARCHITECTURE HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED AND PRESERVED AND ARE REFERENT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD. ITALIANS MAKE A REALLY GOOD PUNCH OF BILLIONS, HUGE HUGE MONEY, JUST FOR LETTING PEOPLE COME AND VISIT AND WALK AROUND… I DONT´THINK THERE IS A BETTER BUSINESS THAN THAT, AS THERE IS A GREAT BUSINESS TO SELL THE SUN IN THE SOUTH OF SPAIN, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE GO TO SPAIN, PAY FOR A HOTEL, FOOD, ETC… JUST TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE WEATHER… AND THAT IS A RESOURCE FOREVER…
I DON´T THINK PEOPLE IN ITALY LIVE THINKING OF HAVING A ROMAN IDENTITY, I HAVE LIVED IN ITALY MYSELF FOR A YEAR… AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT PEOPLE IS REALLY SORROUNDED BY THE PAST, THE ROMANS, THE RENAISSANCE, ETC… BUT THEY DON´T LIVE IN IT.. THEY LIVE IN THE FUTURE. ITALIANS LIKE DESIGN BOTH IN CLOTHES, CARS AND OTHER PRODUCTS, THEY HAVE THE BEST SCHOOLS OF ARCHITECTURE OF THE WORLD AND THE BEST DESIGN SCHOOLS… THEY LIKE MODERNITY AND ARE OPEN TO LEARN FROM PEOPLE FROM ALL NATIONALITIES…
HOW BAD IT IS TO COMPARE AN ITALIAN WITH AN ICELANDER… HAHAHAHA, THEY ARE JUST THE OPPOSITE, ITALIANS ARE VERY OPEN, FRIENDLY, TOLERANT AND REALLY COMPLEX AND PREJUDICES FREE… ITALY IS IN THE MIDDLE OF EUROPE, VERY COSMOPOLITE. ROME, MILANO, VENEZIA ARE SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR AND VISITED CITIES IN THE WORLD…
ITALY IS SO AMAZING, YOU HAVE THE SKI STATIONS IN THE ALPS, THE MONUMENTS IN ALL CITIES, THE ROMANTIC VENEZIA, THE BEACHES ALL AROUND THE COAST, AND SOME OF THE BEST DISHES OF THE WORLD, THAT IS WHY ITALIAN CUISINE IS INTERNATIONAL TODAY AND EVERYONE EAT SPAGHETTI AND PIZZA..
IT IS NOT ABOUT BLAMING ICELAND IT IS ABOUT RECOGNIZING THAT THIS COUNTRY HAS A LOT LEFT TO DO SOCIALLY, ECONOMICALLY AND TECHNOLOGICALLY, IT IS ABOUT NOT BEING THE BEST AND RICHEST COUNTRY OF THE WORLD BUT A COUNTRY THAT URGENTLY NEEDS TO OPEN TO THE WORLD, LET THE VIKING STUFF FOR THE TOURISTS AND THE MUSEUMS AND LIVE IN THE POSTMODERN GLOBALIZED WORLD OF THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.
MAYBE YOU HAVE NOT REALIZED HOW IMPORTANT GREEK AND ROMAN CULTURES ARE. MAYBE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE BASE OF THE WESTERN CULTURE??
Gus, whatever you say, Iceland has less people than my home province -fairy small- and we are still stuck on those ancient myths (Romans over all), so if you’d like to write ‘EU looks torwards future’ (or similar) again, please specify ‘it not applies to Italy’. Gracias/Thanks. :(
‘This is a country for old men’ – trust me …. or argue against Iceland all day long for your amusement…. (blame others is one of our trademarks, wanna join the club?)
International Space Station (ISS)
In partnership with the US, Russia, Japan and Canada, Europe is sharing in the greatest international project of all time – the International Space Station. Once completed, the 450-tonne station will have more than 1200 cubic metres of pressurized space – enough room for seven crew and a vast array of scientific experiments.
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/SEMF5LZBYTE_0.html
ESA astronaut Hans Schlegel works outside Columbus during the STS-122 mission
What is ESA?
The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA is an international organisation with 18 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.
What does ESA do?
ESA’s job is to draw up the European space programme and carry it through. ESA’s programmes are designed to find out more about Earth, its immediate space environment, our Solar System and the Universe, as well as to develop satellite-based technologies and services, and to promote European industries. ESA also works closely with space organisations outside Europe.
Who belongs to ESA?
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Canada takes part in some projects under a Cooperation agreement.
Hungary, Romania and Poland are ‘European Cooperating States’. Estonia and Slovenia have recently signed cooperation agreements with ESA.
MISERABLE ??
IN SPAIN AND OTHER EU STATES POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION IS OFFERED ON AEROSPACE ( SPATIAL TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATIONS, ETC…) ACTUALLY EU CAN PRODUCE EVERYTHING NEEDED UP THERE AND DOWN HERE TO GET MANY THINGS DONE.
IN LESS THAN 20 YEARS WE WILL HAVE THE FIRST COLONY IN MARS. SOUNDS LIKE IN THE MOVIES… BUT ACTUALLY THERE ARE SOME GUYS LIVING UP THERE IN SPATIAL STATIONS. IT IS NICE TO HEAR THAT OTHER NATIONS, LIKE CHINA, ARE DOING IMPORTANT THINGS, BECAUSE AT THE END OUT THERE ARE WE ALL THE SAME, SOME KIND OF CURIOUS MONKEYS THAT ARE TOTALLY LOST, KNOW A LOT AND AT THE SAME TIME NOTHING…
THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EU AND COUNTRIES LIKE ICELAND IS THAT EU IS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE WHILE ICELANDIC SOCIETY IS STILL LOOKING TO ONE THOUSAND YEARS BACK THE VIKINGS. AND THAT IS ROMANTIC AND SWEET, BUT AT THE END IS JUST A CHEAP MENTAL ******* BASED IN SOMETHING YOU FIND TODAY ON THE BIG SCREEN, AND I SAW LORDS OF THE RINGS AND IT WAS NICE, I ALSO LIKED HARRY POTTER, AND TROY…
AT LEAST IN EU WE DON´T GO AROUND THINKING THAT WE ARE THE ROMANS OF THE EMPIRE, THE GREEKS, ALEXANDER THE GREAT OR NAPOLEON!!
I VOTE FOR LETTING OUR ANCESTORS REST IN PEACE AND GET A LIFE OF OUR OWN… LIVING IN A TIME OF OUR OWN AND LOOKING TO THE FUTURE…
ESA is miserable.
All available seats have been booked long ago. So ESA has to pay as soon as possible – to Roscosmos – to get a chance to send European astronauts in any near future. As space ships for them should be built first.
Well, ESA could try to book a seat at Chinese ship ;-)