This article was taken from the August issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online
For most of the past 49 years, spaceflight was the preserve of the superpowers. But things are changing: never has a Brit had a better chance of reaching space.
So, how do you launch your career?
BECOME AN AMERICAN
Three of the four UK spacefarers have done this, including Michael Foale, now one of Nasa's most experienced astronauts. It helps if you have dual nationality, as Foale did; a PhD in a relevant subject; or specific military or engineering experience, which would also help your chances of immigration. Then you just have to get into Nasa...
JOIN THE EUROPEAN ASTRONAUT CORPS
The European Space Agency (ESA) has maintained its own astronaut group since the 80s, flying missions with both the US and Russia/USSR. Although not officially barred from the programme, UK applicants were expected to have zero chance as the government has always refused to invest in it. So it was a surprise when army helicopter pilot Major Tim Peake was selected last year. The new UK Space Agency is expected to boost UK involvement.
JOIN A PRIVATE PROGRAMME
Our first spacefarer, Helen Sharman, was part of an early commercial space project with the Soviet Union in 1991. If you have $200,000 to spare, Virgin offers a suborbital hop into space, due to start next year. And with Virgin's stated aim of drawing its spaceship pilots from it airline business, it may well turn more Britons into astronauts in the next decade than all other non-US/Russian countries have had put together. So, what are you waiting for? Per ardua ad astra and all that. Best of British to you...
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
