Meet the space makers as we journey across Europe and into the cosmos to build a future beyond Earth alone. From astronauts to space doctors, engineers and mission controllers, ESA Explores goes behind the scenes of Europe’s greatest adventure yet.
Episodes
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Meet Meganne Christian — With a PhD in industrial chemistry and hands-on experience in extreme environments, Meganne has tested graphene coatings in microgravity and led atmospheric research during winter-over missions at Concordia Station in Antarctica. Her career spans science, engineering and exploration — and now includes astronaut reserve training with ESA.
In this miniseries, we take you on a journey through the ESA Astronaut Reserve, diving into the first part of their Astronaut Reserve Training (ART) at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany. Our “ARTists” are immersing themselves in everything from ESA and the International Space Station programme to the European space industry and institutions. They’re gaining hands-on experience in technical skills like spacecraft systems and robotics, alongside human behaviour, scientific lessons, scuba diving and survival training.
ESA’s Astronaut Reserve Training programme is all about building Europe’s next generation of space explorers—preparing them for the opportunities of future missions in Earth orbit and beyond.
This interview was recorded in February 2025.
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