“Pursue your dreams firmly, no matter how ridiculous they are.”

Liesbeth Arnouts was a finalist for the European Space Agency's astronaut selection, but was stranded just before the finish line. She considers it a valuable experience.

Since childhood, Lisbeth Arnotts dreamed of becoming a space explorer. Her inspiration came from books about space containing pictures of astronauts on a space station. “I thought it would be great to be in an atmosphere where you as a human being couldn't survive,” she says.

Another source of inspiration was Belgian military pilot Frank De Winne who spent eight days aboard the space station in 2002. “I wanted to emulate my role model and become an astronaut through the pilot path. After two years I had to leave the Belgian army because I was suffering from asthma caused by “Playing sports. That has since disappeared, so maybe I could have stayed with the Department of Defense. Unfortunately, I didn't know that at the time.”

Private road

Arnauts realized that she had to follow her own path, without imitating anyone else's career. I started training as a civil and architectural engineer. “I was fascinated by the combination of science and art. It was the perfect education because I am interested in so many different things. Science is just one of them. I specialized in expandable structures, such as expandable masts and satellite systems, which are also used in space travel,” she laughs. “No matter what I did, I always came back to space travel.”

While she was doing her PhD, a friend explained to her that the European Space Agency was organizing another selection procedure. The last one dates back to 2008. “Because my PhD years also count as work experience, this was the perfect time in my career to get involved. ESA was not only looking for test pilots, but also looked at broader profiles such as geologists or doctors. My PhD in non-folding structures was also relevant to it.

disappointment

After sending her CV and letter of motivation and completing questionnaires, the selection procedure took a year and a half. Every time you went through a phase, it was exciting to wait for the results. “To my surprise, I always got good news,” Arnotts says. “In the end, I stayed with another Belgian, Raphaël Leigua. Because our country invests a lot in space travel, we had a feeling that a Belgian would join the astronaut team: this time either the first Walloon astronaut or the first Belgian female astronaut.

When she received a phone call from Frank DeWine with a message that she had not been selected, it was disappointing. The chances of a Belgian being elected next time – perhaps within ten years – are fairly slim. “I could participate again for a backup spot, but a lot also depends on the future of space travel. If they focus more on lunar missions, they will probably need fewer astronauts, because those always require long preparation. They will need more Astronauts for commercial missions.

a Nobel goal

Her disappointment soon gave way to the conviction that she should not have done things differently. “Since I was completely affected by this process, there is nothing I personally could have done better. Then I realized that this process gave me an important life lesson, which is to fully commit to something, even if it seems impossible or ridiculous. And it is truly special to begin the selection process , in which 23,000 candidates participate. The journey to get there is beautiful and you will learn about yourself and your limits. I have also met many wonderful people.

During the selection process, she started working as a management consultant at McKinsey. “I had been involved with the university for so long that I wanted to explore the business world. But I noticed that this was not the place for me. I wanted to travel to space.” She now works as a systems engineer at HPS (High Performance Aerospace Structure Systems) in Munich, which manufactures aerospace structures. “This is a clear link with my PhD in scissor structures. These are often used in space, for example for solar panels or reflectors for small satellites. This is the ideal way for me to work in space travel.”

Do not put things in boxes

The fact that she had no female role models did not stop her from dreaming of space travel. “I haven't thought about it myself, but for some, being a space explorer can be a motivation or a source of inspiration. There are many women's initiatives in space. For example, there is the Women in Aerospace group that is active all over the world. With all the attention it gets With the woman, the man is sometimes forgotten, and she makes an impression. “We try to make it better for the woman so that she can combine everything with the family, but it is often easier to give the man the same amount of time as the woman at home. “I think we should involve men more in such initiatives.”

In Germany, where she now lives and works, she believes that companies are obligated to appoint a certain percentage of women to senior positions. She's not in favor of that. “It can be a tool to bring more women into leadership positions, but by setting rules you increase the separation between men and women. Then you emphasize the difference more than solving the problem. If a woman gets a certain job because she needs more women, then I have a problem with “Problem with that. She will never get the same respect as her male colleagues.”

Lisbeth Arnotts also told her story at a recent Data News She Goes ICT event.