How Marco Sieber became an astronaut

As an emergency physician, Marco Sieber was able to acquire theoretical knowledge as well as skills that you cannot learn from books. Emergency physicians work long hours and are used to having to make decisions under pressure. This is an important skill for an astronaut. And as an emergency air rescue medic Marco Sieber is also used to working with limited resources. Working in remote locations means taking as little equipment with you as necessary – and that also applies to space. 

Extinguishing fires and carrying out repairs

Astronauts have to be physically fit. As a parachutist in the Swiss armed forces and a passionate hiker, paraglider, ski tourer and kite surfer, Marco Sieber fits the bill. One of the modules he was most looking forward to was the winter survival training in the Spanish Pyrenees: he loves being out in the snowy mountains to switch off. The astronaut candidates had to do without their smartphones for the duration, depending on each other, which allowed them to grow together as a team. In a new environment far away from friends and family, they helped each other with the challenging tasks.

In addition to survival training, the class completed many other exercises, such as training in a centrifuge to prepare for the g-forces that act on the human body when launching into space and later when landing back on Earth. They also trained how to cope in various emergency situations, for example how to put out fires, provide first aid or survive at sea. ESA also practises what will become routine in space: moving around in zero gravity or carrying out repairs on the International Space Station. This training takes place not only at ESA in Cologne, but also at various locations in Europe and at NASA in the USA. 

Video: The astronauts acquire a range of skills in parabolic flight training – Marco Sieber practised how to stow equipment and resuscitate someone in zero gravity, for example. Source: ESA

What's next for Marco Sieber

Marco Sieber’s next stop after graduating in April will be the USA. Before perhaps becoming the first Swiss on the moon, he is likely to be heading to the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month stint. He and the other new ESA astronauts will train for that at NASA in Houston, as well as elsewhere. At the Johnson Space Center there are a number of ISS mock-up training modules where they can familiarise themselves with their future working environment in space while still on Earth.