“Helping to build something on the Moon would be great”, says Christina Birch, who, along with nine other astronauts in training recently chosen by NASA, already dreams of her possible contribution to the return of Americans to the lunar soil.
In the next two years of intensive training for future astronauts, Earth’s natural satellite will be on everyone’s mind. It was also at the center of NASA’s interests when it chose them, ten candidates with very different profiles.
Among them, high-level scientists stand out. Chris Williams, 38, is a physicist and physician who has been dedicated to improving the use of radiation to provide better treatment for cancer patients.
“Moon missions inspired me a lot when I was a kid, so NASA’s Artemis program, To Return to the Moon in a Sustainable Way, is something that really delights me and that I would be thrilled to be a part of,” Williams told AFP.
Christina Birch, on the other hand, has a Ph.D. in biological engineering, and her space dream came hand in hand with her work in the laboratory: “When doing these experiments with cells and proteins, and seeing that similar experiments were being carried out on the space station, I said to myself: ‘ Well, I have these skills'”.
In addition, this 35-year-old woman is impressive for having participated in world championships in track cycling, in which she won medals with the American team.
“I love having a training program and working to reach a very big goal. This is something I really got used to as I pursued qualifying for the Olympic Games,” he explains.
The future astronaut, however, has no flying experience — unlike the many experienced pilots who are also part of the group — and is looking forward to training in the jets with some anticipation.
“The fastest I ever went was on a velodrome track, driven by myself”, she says.
Thrilling adventure
NASA has set the goal of sending people back to the Moon as of 2025, and setting up a base that can be used to prepare trips to Mars. For this, it hired the services of the private company SpaceX, which should provide the landing module.
And, among the ten future astronauts, there is precisely one SpaceX employee.
Anil Menon, the 45-year-old dean of the group, worked as a doctor for the different missions of Elon Musk’s company that sent people to the International Space Station (ISS), and this is his fifth attempt to become an astronaut .
“It will be amazing to physically experience this myself,” he said. “As a doctor, I see it quite differently, […] and I think that medical knowledge will allow people to stay safe and sound when traveling there,” he said, referring to the Moon and, later, Mars.
This son of parents from India and Ukraine is used to working in complicated emergency conditions. In 2010, he was in Haiti to help after the devastating earthquake that shook the country. As early as 2015, it landed unluckily in Nepal a few minutes before another earthquake, where it also helped in the care of patients who crowded local hospitals.
To become astronauts, aspirants need to move to Texas for training at the Johnson Space Center, where they will train in spacewalks, develop robotics skills, learn about the workings of the International Space Station and also take Russian classes.
“It will be a huge change for our families, but it’s a very exciting new adventure,” says Williams.
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