Durham University Physics and Astronomy alumna Dr Rosemary Coogan has taken another giant leap towards space by becoming the UK's newest astronaut.
Rosemary, who holds two master’s degrees from Durham, was one of six astronauts to graduate after passing a year-long basic training programme with the European Space Agency (ESA).
In becoming the UK's latest astronaut, Rosemary joins a prestigious group that includes Helen Sharman, the first British person in space, and Tim Peake, the first British ESA astronaut.
She will now take part in operational tasks within ESA, which could include working in mission control or crew support, until she is assigned to a mission.
Rosemary, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, has been trained to conduct scientific experiments aboard the International Space Station, given medical training and studied astronomy, astrophysics, radiation physics and meteorology.
She has also been trained in technical skills including spacecraft systems, flight engineering, robotics, and life support systems.
Rosemary has undergone winter survival training in the snowy mountains of the Spanish Pyrenees and experienced the effects of hypoxia first-hand in a pressure chamber, enabling her to recognise symptoms and respond accordingly in low-oxygen environments in case of an air leak or reduced pressure in a spacecraft.
She has also experienced centrifuge rides to simulate high g-forces during rocket launches and zero-gravity flights to provide a taste of the unique challenges and sensations awaiting her in space.
Graduating from astronaut basic training is an incredibly moving moment for me. From dreaming about space to now being one step closer to reaching it, I’m filled with gratitude and determination to make the most of this extraordinary opportunity.
The training involved a visit to NASA’s facilities at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas, and scuba diving for spacewalk training under water in NASA’s 12-meter-deep Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL). This facility hosts a replica of the entire International Space Station, where astronauts can perform underwater simulations of spacewalks.
Rosemary completed a master’s degree in Physics at Durham University in 2013, which focused on physics, mathematics, computer programming and astronomy.
In 2015, she received her master’s degree in Astronomy from Durham, having conducted research on gamma-ray emission from black holes.
Learn more about Durham alumna and newly graduated astronaut Dr Rosemary Coogan.
Read the full announcement from the European Space Agency about its graduating astronauts.
See more about Astronomy at Durham.
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Main image ESA – P. Sebirot.
Rosemary Coogan (left) and her fellow graduates who have completed astronaut basic training. Rosemary is the UK's newest astronaut.
Rosemary's basic training included spacecraft systems, flight engineering, robotics, zero-gravity flights and winter survival training (pictured).
Rosemary and her fellow graduates also went scuba diving for spacewalk training.
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