The European Space Agency (ESA) needs a few good men, and women, who want to venture into space.

ESA wishes to hire new astronauts, who would come from the 17 European Union member states, the agency announced.

To be eligible, one would have to be a resident of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland or the United Kingdom.

U.S. residents can apply to NASA to become U.S. astronauts. However, the space shuttle fleet will retire in 2010, and NASA won’t have a next-generation Orion-Ares U.S. spaceship to take them to space until 2015. Meanwhile, U.S. astronauts will hitch rides on Russian Soyuz spaceships, or other spacecraft.

With ESA astronauts working in the Columbus laboratory onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the first of ESA’s new ATV cargo ships having delivered fresh supplies to the station, ESA’s human spaceflight activities have entered a new era, according to the agency.

Astronauts recruited who succeed in the program would get to go to the space station, the Moon and beyond.

The European Space Agency entered the annals of human spaceflight for the first time in 1978 with its first astronaut selection, followed in 1983 by the first Spacelab mission. Preparations for ESA’s Columbus laboratory project, meanwhile, involved a second selection of astronauts in 1992.

The Process

The overall selection process will start on Monday May 19.

First there will be screening, with each potential space traveler submitting a formal application online at http://www.esa.int/astronautselection.

Applicants will have to provide the same medical examination certificate as private pilots, the examination for which must be conducted by an Aviation Medical Examiner certified by his/her national aviation medical authority.

Then will come two stages of psychological and professional aptitude evaluation, including behavioral and cognitive skills tests.

As well, there will be a medical evaluation, including clinical examination by aero- medical physicians and clinical specialists, laboratory screening tests, and special procedures.

Then there will be a formal interview. As potential ESA staff members, the astronaut candidates will go before an ESA selection board for further professional assessment.

Final appointments will be officially announced next year.

Selected candidates will then join the European Astronaut Corps and begin basic training at the European Astronaut Centre (ESA-EAC) in Cologne, Germany.

Background in science and operations:

"The ideal European astronaut candidate should be competent in relevant scientific disciplines, including but not restricted to life sciences, physics, chemistry and medicine and/or be an engineer or pilot, and should have demonstrated outstanding abilities in research, applications or the educational field, preferably including operational skills. In addition, characteristics expected of all applicants include a good memory and reasoning ability, concentration, aptitude for spatial orientation, and manual dexterity," explained Gerhard Thiele, former astronaut and Head of the European Astronaut Division. Applicants should be fluent in English (Russian is also an asset) and should exhibit personality traits such as high motivation, flexibility, team competence, empathy with others and emotional stability.

This major recruitment campaign will kick off with information conferences held in those 17 countries, in which ESA astronauts will be involved. Media organizations will be kept informed and will have the opportunity to attend these events.