"Don't give up before trying!" Astronaut Thomas Pesquet tells middle schoolers how to make it to space

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet has been in space for almost six months. How did he become an astronaut ? What does a typical day look like ? How does he prepare his return ? I invited middle schoolers from Fresnes, near Paris, to run this interview. I've selected 20 of their questions about his professional path. Here is his take on how to achieve your career dreams...

How did you become an astronaut ?

There is no fixed path to being an astronaut. I was an engineer and then an airline pilot before I joined the European Space Agency but astronauts have very varied careers: scientists and researchers, engineers and military pilots… there are teachers… and even astronauts who used to work in submarines! The important thing is to study hard and show an interest in many things. You don’t have to be good at one thing, it is better to be capable in many different areas, from sports, science, to mathematics and even hobbies like scuba-diving or sky-diving help to increase your chances of being selected as an astronaut.

How long are the studies to become an astronaut ?

I have a degree in spacecraft engineering that I did after my normal school. After that I finished airline-pilot school at Air France. When we were chosen to be an astronaut we went back to class to learn all the things we need to know to live and work in space : the science and technical aspects, but also learning Russian, survival training, first-aid. It is important to always be ready to learn and adapt as careers evolve faster and faster in the modern world.

Why and when did you choose this career ?

Without wanting to sound like a cliché, you can say that the astronaut vocation chooses you! The selection procedure is very harsh and the chances are very slim from the start. You need to seize opportunities: I always dreamt of being an astronaut and kept that dream in the back of my mind when I made choices: scientific studies, private pilot, parachuting, diving, living abroad, sports. The important thing is to try, some of my friends didn’t apply because they thought “it will be too hard for me” – but they are probably better than me in most things! People will often give up before trying and it is a pity: there are many opportunities to seize in life.

What do you like most about your job ?

Being in space ! But also learning new things and working on the forefront of technology working with people all over the world. Lastly to be useful to society: we don’t go to space for fun but to offer our services to scientists and engineers on Earth.

Is it a risky job ?

There is always a risk with everything you do. It is an individual choice to decide if the risks are worth it. Spaceflight is risky but we take huge precautions to be safe up here: I am not someone who worries quickly and that is a good thing, if I think of all the things that could go wrong here I probably wouldn’t sleep at night. I have confidence in all the professionals that work on the systems that protect us and design and build machines with the utmost reliability.

What is the biggest downside about living and working aboard a space station?

It is quite small and noisy and there is not much privacy. It is like living in a house with your parents and brothers and sisters for six months without ever being allowed out… we all dream of a simple walk in the forest! Despite this the biggest difficulty is being separated from our loved ones.

What projects are you working on aboard the ISS?

The Space Station is a true laboratory that uses the weightless environment to run experiments we could never do on Earth. We spend our days on material science experiments, physiology, medicine, biology, chemistry and so on. A favourite is launching miniature satellites out of the airlock because it looks so cool and they are often made by students.

What kind of experiments are you working on in space?

We do experiments that cannot be done on Earth with gravity. The ISS is the only place where scientists can “switch off” gravity. The experiments are to help us understand our world, improve life for people on Earth and to get ready to explore our Solar System. The applications on Earth are many: new metal alloys, vaccinations, new technologies, medical procedures and so on.

How many hours do you work while on the ISS ?

We work 50–60 hour weeks in general, just like many people on Earth. On Saturday it is cleaning day and on Sunday we have a day off except when necessary – we just spent four weekends in a row working!

How do you distinguish day and night to avoid working all the time?

We follow GMT time, one of the oldest standards of time and one hour or two different from Central European Time. We have 16 sunrises and sunsets each day, but we don’t have much time to look outside the windows so we don’t notice it much. We turn the lights on in the morning and we turn them off in the evening to simulate a normal day on Earth.

How many colleagues are you working with on the ISS?

Six in total. Three come and go on each Soyuz spacecraft, so there will be a week or two when there are just three of us up here.

Is there a typical background for your colleagues?

We have a biochemist, a flight controller, four pilots, two engineers a teacher and three military officers working together… yes that is more than six careers combined! Like for every job, there is no straight path to becoming an astronaut: life is made of experiences and connections, and in space too you have to choose the right ones.

>>> Read here Thomas Pesquet's previous article : There are many paths to space. The current Space Station crew and their careers

Which country are they coming from? Have you met each other before onboarding?

Russia and America. We spend lots of time together training so I know them all very well and we are good friends!

Can you share any difficult times you experienced aboard the ISS?

So far everything has been going smoothly ! It can be hard to be away from family and loved ones but they are understanding and I can talk to them on the phone… No moments like in Gravity or The Martian … thankfully!

Back on Earth, are you going to meet your former teammates?

Yes, we will continue to cross paths when we train for the next missions and also for debriefing. Friendship is as strong as the experiences you share, so after living on the Space Station our friendships will be forever.

In what way are you going to continue your collaboration?

Yes, we run the experiments but we are also often the guinea pigs. Researchers monitor our bodies before, during and after the spaceflight to see how they change. The Proxima mission is not over when we are back on Earth, many scientists still want to study our bodies. I will be subjected to more sample-taking and measurements many months on return.

How do you stay in touch with your colleagues on Earth?

We have radio, telephone and even video. We use the radio to talk about work stuff exchanging messages with ground control like pilots with air traffic control. We use telephone for private calls and video for calls with family but also with my private medical doctor who makes sure we stay healthy up here.

What's your daily job like when you are not in space?

An astronaut spends 99% of their career not in space… the rest of the time we train, but also work on other projects for the European Space Agency. I was lucky to be able to continue working for a long time alongside the training on the second-best job in the world: airline pilot !

What will be doing once you are back on Earth?

Once rehabilitation is finished after the spaceflight as well as all the tests and experiments done I want to see my friends and family and have some holidays! After that I will return to training to prepare for another mission. You should always have dreams and challenges ahead of you and not behind!

For more insights from space, you can follow Thomas Pesquet on LinkedIn here.