Surviving the Stars: A Glimpse into Astronaut Sara García’s Rigorous Training Journey

The job posting was harsh. It stipulated being confined for months in a cramped space with no chance of escape, relying solely on purified urine from others for sustenance, and the duty to serve as a human test subject in intrusive experiments. The potential for fatality was significant. One in 35 individuals perished in prior attempts. In spite of this, nearly 23,000 candidates with impressive resumes applied, with only 17 succeeding through the stringent selection criteria to become astronauts for the European Space Agency (ESA) and partake in “the greatest adventure of humanity”: a journey to the International Space Station, paving the way for future manned missions to the Moon. Spaniard Sara García, aged 35, is among the select few. On October 28, she commenced her training with one fundamental goal: to master the art of survival in space.

At 7 a.m., García enthusiastically greets two reporters from EL PAÍS at her temporary residence near the magnificent cathedral of Cologne, Germany. On a windowsill, various balls of yarn are gathered, from which she has just crocheted a tiny capybara. García quickly prepares a coffee and departs in a borrowed vehicle to the European Astronaut Centre, where she will undergo a six-month training program, extended until 2026.

French trainer Hervé Stevenin awaits García at the edge of one of the world’s largest swimming pools, which is 10 meters deep and contains almost four million liters of water. Here, trainee astronauts practice buoyancy among replicas of the International Space Station modules. Stevenin recalls the harrowing experience of Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano during an actual spacewalk on July 16, 2013. After half an hour, he sensed that something was profoundly amiss. “I feel like there’s a lot of water behind my head,” Parmitano cautioned while orbiting the Earth at 28,000 kilometers per hour, tethered to the space station’s exterior. A fluid leakage began to swiftly fill his helmet, enveloping his ears, eyes, and even his nose. Struggling to hear, with limited visibility and on the brink of suffocation, the Italian calmly used memory to navigate back to the airlock, just in the nick of time to survive.

Stevenin, a renowned astronaut trainer, emphasizes the training’s objectives. “You must expose yourself to extremely challenging, uncomfortable situations. You need to acclimate to discomfort. Embrace the discomfort until it becomes your norm. So when you find yourself in a scenario like Luca’s, while others might panic, you’ll remain composed,” he explains. “An astronaut’s training revolves around this: stretching the boundaries of your comfort zone and consistently being proactive, considering your next steps if an unforeseen incident arises.”

García’s training will be rigorous. During the second week of December, she is scheduled to travel to a secret site in the Spanish Pyrenees for survival training in snowy conditions alongside four other novice astronauts: Germany’s Amelie Schoenenwald, France’s Arnaud Prost, Italy’s Andrea Patassa, and Aleš Svoboda from the Czech Republic. The group will construct igloos, learn fire-building, and drill rescues in extreme scenarios, including frigid waters, preparing for potential mishaps during re-entry when their craft may land in isolated, inhospitable terrains.

García has become a celebrated figure in Spain since the ESA announced two years ago her selection for the new class of astronauts, alongside compatriot Pablo Álvarez. Both hail from León, arriving just 17 days apart, yet were previously unknown to one another. Since then, García declares they have experienced an extraordinary bond, often completing each other’s sentences, akin to twins. Álvarez is among the five professional astronauts and is poised to embark on a six-month mission at the International Space Station before 2030.

Conversely, García is listed among the 12 reserve astronauts. She aspires for the Spanish Ministry of Science to fund a private mission lasting several weeks to the space station, similar to arrangements made by Sweden and Poland for two of her colleagues. Axiom Space, an American firm led by the Madrid-born Michael López-Alegría as chief astronaut, offers these journeys at a price of approximately $50 million. If political willingness is present, García could potentially fly by late 2026.

It’s Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., and García enters the fitness center known as Cosmos Gym at the European Astronaut Centre. On one wall are displayed two topless photos of actors Bruce Lee and Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with a sketch of Popeye showcasing his famed anchor tattoo on his forearm. Adorning García’s tattooed arms are depictions of a bionic astronaut and an atom. She maintains an intense fitness regimen five days a week, plus a sixth tranquil day, where she restricts herself to walking 20 kilometers. Daily workouts include running on the treadmill, deadlifting, vertical jumps, kettlebell exercises, squats, throwing medicine balls, and boxing.

Sergi Vaquer, the chief medical officer at the European Space Agency, oversees García’s well-being. “Astronauts need to maintain good physical condition to effectively accomplish their duties in space. They must be free from ailments. We aim to have an astronaut who is generally in good health, showcasing well-being across all these aspects, inclusive of mental health,” states Vaquer, 42, hailing from Barcelona.

The recruitment procedure for the 17 astronauts was relentless. Out of 23,000 applicants, the ESA conducted an initial culling, inviting merely 1,400 candidates to endure an 11-hour assessment filled with demanding memory and intelligence tasks, including recalling a consecutive series of 30 numbers and repeating them in reverse. Only 400 individuals progressed to the third stage, which involved rigorous psychological evaluations designed to test their limits. A hundred candidates passed the exacting final medical screenings, requiring them to remain in a hospital for five days, where any minor health issue resulted in disqualification. Ultimately, 50 reached the stage for interviews with the agency’s executives, and of those, 25 faced direct questioning from the director general himself, the Austrian Josef Aschbacher. After 18 months of evaluations, 17 remained, including the two individuals in their thirties from León.

Currently, García is due for a checkup with Vaquer. The ESA chief medical officer highlights that astronauts must also grasp fundamental medical principles to potentially save their colleagues aboard the International Space Station, a structure akin to a six-room dwelling orbiting the Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers. “One of the most critical scenarios we might face in space is a cardiorespiratory arrest. Although we have yet to encounter it, I hope we never do, yet we need to be ready,” asserts Vaquer.

“It’s intriguing because CPR techniques in space differ from those on Earth. When you compress someone’s chest, they tend to float backward,” remarks the doctor. García and her peers will need to master how to revive a colleague’s heart while positioning their feet against the ceiling, during parabolic flights mimicking the sensation of weightlessness. They will also acquire skills in blood extraction, catheter insertion in the urethra, and performing ultrasounds. Furthermore, they will even tour hospitals to observe severe injuries. “You shouldn’t encounter a broken bone for the first time in space. If it occurs, it is crucial to have witnessed it previously, so it does not astound you as much. We have even attended open-heart surgeries merely to familiarize ourselves with how a body with a severe injury appears,” the doctor elaborates.

García obtained her degree in biotechnology from the University of León and is employed at the National Cancer Research Center in Madrid, focusing on therapies for lung and pancreatic cancer. In October, she requested a two-month leave to initiate her training, thus becoming a national hero, although she presently does not receive any income. The European Space Agency compensates newly inducted career astronauts with over €6,000 monthly, yet reserves do not receive such payments. Álvarez, who completed his ESA training in April and is currently finalizing his education at NASA in Houston, has entrusted his friend from León with the keys to his home and car in Cologne to alleviate her situation.

A monument of the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin — known for making history in 1961 with a groundbreaking, 108-minute space mission, marking the initial steps in human space exploration — greets visitors at the entrance of the European Astronaut Centre. Within the lobby, a rock retrieved by the crew of the Apollo 16 mission in 1972, originating from the Descartes Highlands, a lunar plateau, is exhibited. García navigates this complex structure with confidence until she arrives at a full-scale version of the Columbus module, the European scientific laboratory integrated with the International Space Station. She has just received her new flight suit and is wearing it for a photo session. Once seated inside the replica, García allows her creativity to flourish.

“During the astronaut selection phase, I was attending a rock concert with my husband. As darkness fell, the Moon appeared. I recall gazing at that scene and thinking: can you envision a time when I might be there, watching this concert from a different angle?” she remembers. At a concert by Californian artist Phoebe Bridgers during a summer in Madrid, she experienced chills. “Soon after, they chose me, and that seemingly outlandish possibility started to take shape into reality. I relish the idea that it could happen. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity, which may never materialize, yet it’s now a possibility,” she expresses.

El 16 de noviembre de 2022, una semana antes de que la Agencia Espacial Europea presentara a sus 17 nuevos astronautas, la humanidad dio el primer paso hacia el retorno a la superficie de la Luna, tras medio siglo de ausencia. La misión Artemis I, no tripulada y dirigida por NASA, despegó desde el Centro Espacial Kennedy para ensayar la expedición en la que la agencia americana tiene la intención de que un astronauta pise el polo sur lunar en septiembre de 2026. El objetivo ahora es ir a la Luna para quedarse, con la construcción desde 2028 de la estación espacial Gateway, que orbitará el satélite y servirá como trampolín para misiones tripuladas a la superficie lunar. Esta experiencia será útil para planificar una expedición humana a Marte a partir de 2040.

García posee una aplicación en su teléfono móvil que le indica la ubicación de la Estación Espacial Internacional en todo momento. Cuando el cielo está despejado, ella levanta la vista y la busca en el firmamento. García ha leído Diario de una Astronauta Aprendiz, escrito por su colega italiana Samantha Cristoforetti, quien se sintió como “una estrella fugaz” cuando su cápsula se convirtió en una bola de fuego al regresar a la Tierra hace una década, tras 200 días en el espacio. “Imaginarse regresando de una misión espacial, atravesando la atmósfera y la nave volviéndose completamente incandescente con uno dentro, pero sobreviviendo gracias a la tecnología y aterrizando nuevamente en su planeta, tras haber realizado investigaciones, cumplido sueños y objetivos, me parece fascinante,” reflexiona García. “Si eso es lo que representa esa estrella fugaz, ciertamente sueño con ser una también.”

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