Thread by @AndrewParsonson

.@ESA initiated its first astronaut selection process on 28 March 1977. The effort was the result of an agreement made with @NASA 4 years earlier that would see European astronauts join space shuttle missions in exchange for ESA supplying the Spacelab reusable science lab.

The astronauts would assume what was then a brand new role board a spacecraft, payload specialist. They would have some generic astronaut training but mostly they would be familiarising themselves with the experiments that would be flown aboard their mission.

ESA's selection criteria required applicants to be no older than 47 years, 150-190cm in height, in good health, emotionally stable, and of high scientific/engineering ability. They stressed that they were looking for normally-fit scientists rather than super-fit astronauts.

More than 2,000 applicants applied to be a part of ESA's first astronaut class. For context, the latest call for new astronauts in 2021 attracted more than 23,000. Once applications were received, each Member State went through its own selection procedure selecting no more than 5

Of the 2,000+ applicants, 53 were nominated by Member States and ESA itself. The applicants were then put through a series of technical, physical, and psychological tests reducing their numbers to 26, 12, 11, and finally to just four candidates.

.@Astroclaude from Switzerland, @Ockels from the Netherlands, Franco Malerba from Italy, and Ulf Merbold from Germany were introduced as the four finalists at a press conference in Paris on 22 December 1977. Can we take a second to appreciate Ockels' fantastic mustache?

The four finalists were then put through another battery of testing at NASA's Johnson Space Center. All four candidates were accepted by NASA as suitable for flight aboard the Space Shuttle.

In May 1978, Ulf Merbold, Wubbo Ockels, and Claude Nicollier became the first @ESA astronaut class. According to @ESA_History, the decision had been so tough that Malerba was offered a temporary technical position until more flight opportunities came up (more on that soon).

A huge thank you to @astro_carl and @ESA_History! I can't tell you how amazing they were. I now have stacks of amazing reading material. Next thread will cover the first ESA astronaut in space. I'm going to try to do one of these weekly. Check back this time next week.