Becoming an astronaut is the childhood dream of many . It requires excellent physical and mental prowess , specialized skill ( skill grade and/or piloting experience ) , and the power to pass certain tests and training . This is the traditional room , but it may soon not be the only means . Finnish companySpace Nationwants to convert how we remember about space travel .
If get to quad becomes easier and cheaper , there will be more and more masses soon float over our heads . For a space economy to flourish , you ’ll need mass to do the superfluity of job , and it wo n’t be possible for all of them to go through extensive training . Therefore , we need to make certain people do n’t miss out on the opportunities and benefit of such an endeavor .
“ All the benefit of move to space should become accessible to everyone . Everyone should be able to take part in that , " Kalle Vähä - Jaakkola , chief executive officer of Space Nation , told IFLScience . " We demand a broader consultation . We need casual people more involved with space . "
By next class , Space Nation be after to send one hard process individual on a suborbital flight , and by 2020 , they desire to be on a regular basis sending a few mass a yr on such flight . In that same year , they hope to select a candidate for another exciting venture – an orbital flight of stairs to take situation in 2022 .
To select candidates and reach a broad audience , Space Nation come up with an astronaut training program . The companionship developed an app , calledSpace Nation Navigator , that help you gain the attainment you want in space through a serial of games , quiz , and accessible physical tests . To delve bass than just gather badges on the app , they also plan to give the possible astronauts a prospect to civilize in special boot bivouac on location . A good way of life to go from the virtual to the real .
We survive with Space Nation to Iceland , where we were given the opportunity to experience their full astronaut training program . Iceland was choose because it’sone of the locationswhere the Apollo cosmonaut trained . Let ’s just say its incredible quite a little really made us find like we were on a different satellite .
The idea behind the thrill clique is simple : put together a small mathematical group of unknown and give them undertaking that challenge them physically and mentally , see how they work as individuals and as a team , and give them challenge that are astronaut - comparable or seem all unrelated . All of these tasks have one goal in psyche – make the individual see that becoming an astronaut is not just a childhood dream , but that it could soon become a realness .
Space Nation get up six challenge for our squad . The first was about manual dexterity in a full spacesuit while follow instructions remotely . We had to construct an Ikea lamp and , let me severalize you , they are difficult to work up in the comfortableness of your own home base let alone on a mountain in Iceland with gale force winds , without the teaching and with pieces flying off . Clearly a lesson in longanimity .
But solitaire is a just skill to have , as we found out on another challenge . We had to pilot a tiny rover , develop by American companyCubeRoverto be sent to the Moon in the next few years , in these complicated condition .
The quality of the camera was jell on the lowest setting and the scouter waited for a few sec after you gave it a program line before move , to simulate the signal crossing immense distance . The roamer was n’t easy to operate under these condition , but when you think about how you ’re driving a motorcar that will go to the moonlight , you could feel passably smug about it – even when you pass over the minuscule target you were supposed to “ just ” glide path and circumstantially break it in two . Oops .
Astronaut training is not just about technical skills , it is also about face your fear . The squad surprised us with a paragliding lesson on top of a volcanic ridge . This was both beautiful and terrifying at the same metre .
Space Nation also focus on skills that can be important here on Earth . We were teach basic natural selection skill , first aid proficiency , and how to approach different dangerous situations . This might not seem relevant to astronauts , but it mattered to the crew of theVoskhod 2 , who landed in Siberia and were run aground for two days . So , as always , it ’s best to be prepared .
The final treat was meeting with NASA cosmonaut Greg Johnson , the archetype of the last ever Space Shuttle flight . He tell us about his experience in outer space and made it fathom even good than we imagined .
“ The space experience was a milestone second in my lifetime that I ’ll never draw a blank , ” Johnson told IFLScience . “ When you look at our beautiful planet below , the photographs do n’t do it justice . It ’s an amazing survey to see the Sun get along up every 45 minutes . And look down you have a go at it that the Earth is just a big spaceship that we live on . A particular place . We should take charge of our ship and take attention of our crewmates . ”
He told us that the tasks we did in Iceland were exchangeable to what astronauts do and he even compare going to the International Space Station to a prominent camp – there ’s the teamwork , the division of roles , and testing one ’s limits . He want more people to experience this , which is why he became convoluted with Space Nation .
“ I consider in the commission of us as a civilization going out into space , and it ’s not just up to the US or Finland or Russia , but to all of us living on spaceship Earth . We are still in the early phase right now , ” Johnson explained . “ We require to figure out how to get the best skills and the good motivations for it . We are all different and we can all avail . It take teamwork . ”
As Vähä - Jaakkola explain , Space Nation is not just about prepping people to go to infinite . They need to create a community of people that understand the grandness of quad to everyday life . Most of our communications pass through blank space technical school , and we require public awareness about its importance and the potential drop it can proffer . If you like the sound of that , there ’s an well-fixed next step for you to take . facilitate this mission and take your first “ elephantine leap ” towards space by downloading theSpace Nation Navigatorapp .
