Dr Rosemary Coogan laughs with Dr Stephen Wilkins, Head of Astronomy at Sussex, who was her PhD supervisor during her studies at Sussex

University of Sussex alumna, Dr Rosemary Coogan, has revealed that calmness is the key and toast is one of main things she will miss as she prepares to take one giant step for Sussex and become the UK’s third ever astronaut in space and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) first female UK astronaut. At 32 years old, Dr Coogan will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Tim Peake and Helen Sharman.

In an exclusive interview for the University of Sussex’s Falmer magazine, Dr Coogan talked about the qualities required to qualify in the rigorous and highly competitive ESA astronaut training selection process.

“We did a lot of work with psychologists,” she said. “We had group exercises where they looked for balance between group leadership and being able to support the leader as a team member. It seems an essential strength is the ability to stay calm.”

Alongside valuable qualities of calm and physical endurance, being able to perform well in highly structured environments is key, with Dr Coogan crediting training as a petty officer cadet with the Royal Navy Sea Cadets in Brighton and the Royal Naval Reserve, as evidence that she is well suited to the discipline of astronaut training.

Dr Coogan, who was born in Northern Ireland, spent her early years on the University of Sussex campus, where she lived with her parents from the age of four months to five years, while they were studying at the University. She grew up in Brighton and herself completed a PhD in astrophysics, in 2019. She recently came back to the University and met some of her old tutors and current pupils and spoke fondly of her time studying at the University:

“I really enjoyed the learning environment at Sussex. I like that the Astronomy Department’s research is extra-galactic, and I like the breadth.

”It’s an open place in which to learn, and I felt like I was given a lot of options. I wasn’t channeled in one direction. It’s also a supportive environment, especially for all genders in science. As a PhD student, I was in an office of three women and two men, and I thought there was a good representation of gender among the staff too.”

As part of the ESA career astronaut training, trainees undertake underwater exercises in a space suit with full-size replicas of space station modules. Dr Coogan shared how extra-curricular activities as a student at the University of Sussex equipped her with the necessary skills for this aspect of the programme

“This is the closest we can get on Earth to learning what it’s like to manoeuvre in a weightless environment,” she said. “It requires us to have a SCUBA diving licence, which I already happen to have having been a member of the SCUBA Diving Society at Sussex!”

When asked what she’ll be taking with her to space and what she’ll most miss about life on Earth, Dr Coogan cites family, friends, toast and showers as some of the things she’ll miss most:

“I’ll be able to take a small box of personal treasures with me… I really enjoy fantasy adventure board games, and I would love to work out whether it’s possible to roll a die in space, though I’m sure the excitement and privilege of being on a mission will far outweigh missing any creature comforts.”

Professor Sasha Roseneil, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sussex, says:

“At Sussex we continue to marvel at the astronomical achievements of Dr Rosemary Coogan as she undertakes training to be the UK’s third astronaut. It is fascinating to learn more about what it took to get her to this stage, and we wish her the very best of luck. I will be following her great space adventure with interest!” 

The full interview can be read in ‘Fly me to the moon: an interview with Dr Rosemary Coogan’, which is published in the University of Sussex’s annual magazine, Falmer.