Dr. Rosemary Coogan, a British astronaut with aspirations to become the first Briton to walk on the Moon, is currently undergoing intensive training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Recently, she participated in a crucial underwater test designed to simulate the conditions of a spacewalk. This test is part of her preparation for an eventual mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that the European Space Agency (ESA) aims to schedule by 2030.
The training regimen is rigorous, involving intricate procedures that assist in emulating the challenges that astronauts face in microgravity. During her assessment, Rosemary was fully suited in a spacesuit, a process that required around 45 minutes with the assistance of a team dedicated to ensuring her comfort and safety. This included various checks and adjustments before she was placed in the environment that could replicate the weightlessness of outer space. The facility where this training took place is famous for housing one of the world’s largest pools, the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, which is specifically designed for such astronaut training exercises.
Inside this massive pool, Rosemary and her peers are tasked with simulating how they would maneuver around the ISS. The pool itself is an impressive 12 meters deep and features life-sized mockups of segments of the ISS, allowing astronauts to rehearse procedures in a realism-comparable manner. As Rosemary prepared for the dive, she expressed both the physical and psychological intensity she anticipated, but maintained a positive demeanor, waving to onlookers as she stepped towards the refreshing water.
Having dreamt of becoming an astronaut since childhood, Rosemary’s journey was initially hindered by the absence of role models in her area. She recalls a lack of interaction with astronauts during her educational career, which led her to pursue a degree in astrophysics instead. However, when the ESA announced its search for new astronaut candidates, she seized the opportunity, ultimately being selected from over 22,000 applicants.
In her training, Rosemary covers vital components of space travel, which encompasses skills that are vastly different from typical terrestrial tasks. This includes even the use of an onboard toilet, a crucial piece of equipment for astronauts spending extended periods in space. The peculiar design collections on the space toilet emphasize the resource conservation approach in orbit, including the recycling of urine for drinking water.
As part of her extensive training, Rosemary explores different sections of the ISS, including a life-sized hangar replica that showcases the interconnected modules of the space station. Training includes overcoming the cramped quarters of the ISS, which astronauts must navigate while living and working in an isolated environment. This blend of training in buoyancy and familiarization with equipment is all geared toward the overarching goal of enabling her to conduct repairs and maintenance tasks on the ISS, a skill that is pertinent for sustaining life in space.
Her determination is evident even through challenges, such as performing a simulated rescue of a fellow astronaut who pretends to lose consciousness, a scenario that enhances her problem-solving skills under pressure. Following her underwater training, Rosemary remains focused on her dream of space exploration, particularly the possibility of walking on the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program.
The anticipation of returning humans to the lunar surface—an aspiration set forth several decades after the last Apollo mission—is thrilling to Rosemary. With hopes of potentially being part of the subsequent missions, Dr. Rosemary Coogan keenly embraces her role in this new era of space exploration. Her dedication, resilience, and passion for science and space continue to inspire as she charts a significant path forward for other aspiring astronauts from the UK and beyond.