Episode 3 Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?

-ASTRONAUT:

-Wow.

That's a beautiful thing. Look at that.

250 miles above us, six people are living in space.

All right.

Millions dream of going into orbit,

but few ever make it a reality.

Now, a hand-picked group of exceptional applicants...

Go.

..are about to be put through astronaut selection...

Commander.

..by former commander of the International Space Station,

Chris Hadfield...

Ten seconds, hands on your head, go.

..along with trauma specialist Dr Kevin Fong...

Being an astronaut places extreme demands on the human body.

..and psychologist Dr Iya Whiteley.

So she's focused, determined.

Over six weeks,

with access to remarkable training facilities across the globe...

Start spinning.

..candidates will face a series of gruelling tests...

I can't quit. I've got the determination to see it through to the end.

..using standards set by the world's space agencies.

Being sat in a chair where astronauts have actually sat

and trained is such a privilege.

Going to 4.5.

Brace for impact.

Those who fail to make the grade can be asked to leave at any time.

The reality is, your scores have not been high.

But, for the person who impresses the most...

I feel I absolutely smashed that.

..the ultimate reference.

Chris's backing for their application when the space agencies

next take on recruits.

We really want to put the best people...

..onto the rocket ship.

Oxygen failure, oxygen failure, oxygen failure.

Last time...

..Jackie struggled...

..but Hannah failed to conquer her fears.

It's my idea of hell.

Any tendency towards drama is almost the opposite of what we need.

Your astronaut selection ends today.

The candidates got a chance to use some hi-tech space equipment.

You are going to be operating a robot on Mars.

James H lost his way.

Easily be the worst here, and go home today.

Just eight astronaut candidates have reached the next stage of selection.

It only gets tougher from here, doesn't it?

For the remaining candidates,

who range from doctors of science to military pilots and a professional

ballerina, an already gruelling selection process is about to get

harder still.

The eight of you have completed the basic evaluation phase of

astronaut selection.

Congratulations to you.

This means we are now beginning the advanced testing phase.

And part of that is going to take place abroad.

We're going to be conducting astronaut testing in foreign space

agency facilities. But today's test will take place in the pool.

I've spent thousands of hours in the water as an astronaut.

So many of the training facilities we have, they're in pools,

because that's the best way to simulate being weightless.

An extreme airless environment,

water offers the closest analogue on Earth to working in space.

Once you're finished in the airlock...

Like Chris, all astronauts prepare for spacewalks in underwater

neutral buoyancy labs.

A comfort and an ability both on the water and under the water is just

an essential skill to be a successful astronaut.

The first test the candidates face is one used by the military and all

space agencies - a timed swim.

To make it tougher,

they'll be wearing bulky flight suits and shoes.

The additional drag will slow down their speed and endurance by a third.

It makes it much harder.

Even if you're a strong swimmer, your ability to propel yourself,

your ability to stay afloat is all massively, massively impaired.

At the pool, we regularly choose who is not going to be an astronaut.

Anyone who fails to meet the standard could be asked to leave

at any point.

This task doesn't scare me.

Every year in the air force, we do this test.

So I'm lucky because I've had all this training,

but then is it luck or have I decided to put myself through all

that training cos I want to be an astronaut?

Maximum time is four minutes.

Slightly nervous. I don't want to go home.

So I need to make sure that I am ahead of the other candidates

that are also not the strongest of swimmers.

I need to ask before we start, if anyone has any issues, any problems,

any reason why they cannot participate in this event.

Everyone happy to participate?

I'm really proud of myself for getting this far in the process.

I am not so thrilled that it is swimming again.

Particle physicist Jackie has a fear of water -

something which has held her back already in the process.

Normally I'm quite composed and I think logically,

but bring water into it and I do kind of panic.

Candidates, get in the pool.

That's probably because, when I was younger,

I nearly drowned on a school trip.

Hopefully...hopefully I'll be OK.

Everyone give me a thumbs up when you're ready.

Jackie.

Good luck.

Take your marks. Go!

30 seconds into the test,

four of the candidates have already hit the halfway mark.

Look, Carrie has decided to swim with Jackie.

That's interesting to see.

I'm next to Jackie, and she is scared, and I can swim,

I know I can swim probably around the top end of the guys here.

But in my mind, an astronaut is a team player.

Good girl.

Despite Kerry's encouragement...

-You can do it.

-..Jackie is struggling.

The rest of the candidates complete the swim in just over one minute...

..with commercial airline pilot Tessa finishing half a length

behind the leaders.

Absolutely fine.

Come on, Jackie.

That's it, you've got it.

-Come on.

-There is one minute left.

One minute.

No problem.

With ten metres to go...

You can do it, you can do it.

..and 30 seconds on the clock...

-ALL:

-Come on.

..Jackie can swim no further.

Kerry, complete your swim.

Come on, Kerry.

I want to stay, and a lot of the other skills that an astronaut would

have, I feel like I do have them skills.

I just have never learned to swim properly,

and I regret that now.

Kerry made a pact with Jackie right at the very beginning to help her,

which is good, commendable, and I probably would have done the same.

It is a gamble.

I genuinely don't know what they're measuring.

I know what I think an astronaut should be.

Out you get.

In my mind it is more about teamwork than individual glory.

Next, the candidates must tread water for ten minutes.

Three... Two...

One... Begin.

Jackie lasts just 45 seconds.

Ten seconds, hands on your head, go.

-Ten...

-And Chris makes the test tougher still.

Seven... 20 seconds.

Go.

20, 19, 18, on your head...

Science teacher James is next to run into trouble...

-James, come on out.

-..reaching the seven minute mark.

I was a bit gutted about my being pulled out.

I know I don't float. And my treading water is all arms.

So as soon as he said we're going to do bits where we put our arms above

our heads, I knew I was sunk.

Space scientist Suzie stops just 15 seconds before the ten minutes is up.

Three, two, one.

-Tread water.

-Already pushed to their limits...

We just did ten minutes.

..Chris tests the candidates even further.

We're going to stay two more. Two more minutes.

Kerry and space engineer Vijay,

PhD Student Tim, Merritt and Tessa all make it to the end.

Outstanding, everybody.

For the final part of the swim test,

Chris and the panel want to see how well the candidates work together.

So much of what astronauts do is not just to have the raw ability,

but a proven ability to apply their intelligence to solve problems,

and not just as one person, but as a team.

So how do you test for intelligent teamwork?

First to face the teamwork test are Tim, Suzie, Merritt and Tessa.

On the bottom of the pool in front of you are seven pieces.

They fit together into a cube.

There are 240 different ways that those pieces will go together.

So you have no excuse.

This test is based on one used by the Canadian space agency

in their latest astronaut selection process.

Do we assemble the cube at the bottom of the pool?

Yes. Assemble the cube right where it is now.

It would be nice to pick it up and do it on the surface.

You will have ten minutes total.

Three, two, one.

-Begin.

-OK, do you want to someone up top, or hand signals?

A good team will communicate well with each other,

and then they'll distribute roles.

It is going to be a real test of leadership and of teamwork.

Shall I go down and give her a hand?

Yeah.

By putting this test in the bottom of a swimming pool,

it takes what should be a fairly simple task and puts it in a more

space-like environment.

You are up against your own physiology,

how long you can hold your own breath.

You have to communicate non-verbally when you're under the water,

and they've got limited time.

It's going to be pretty difficult.

Two square cubes go in that corner, and you'll have one...

While her team-mates work at the bottom of the pool,

Tessa stays on the surface to direct them.

She's trying to get them to organise together.

Make that hole, so the green T sits inside it.

This test assesses the candidates' 3-D visualisation -

the ability to move the shapes around in their heads.

They've got sort of a rectangle, and they haven't used all the pieces.

Something this team is struggling with.

Three minutes.

Suzie has been over, catching her breath, for a minute.

With the team in disarray,

quantum physicist Merritt tries to take on the cube alone.

I'm not sure how directed Merritt's action is,

Merritt's kind of like... she's doing her own thing.

She's decided it has a better chance with just her.

Two minutes.

Something's not right.

No, it's a three-by-three cube, so... We need to take it round.

Tessa - she wants to direct,

but she feels frustrated by her inability to communicate ideas.

One minute remaining.

-One minute.

-Let's do the best we can do now.

-Yeah, OK.

One piece completely loose over at the side.

This is not a great performance, I have to say.

They're nowhere close.

ALARM BEEPS

Time.

Well done, team.

It was so difficult to do anything under the water,

cos by the time you got to the bottom of the pool,

you were out of breath already and you had to swim back up.

I do think we should have talked more throughout the test.

I felt comfortable underneath the water,

and so, if I saw something, then I thought, "Oh, I'll try this,"

and then come back up.

I kind of was, like, the base is wrong.

The base is wrong, but then you guys were doing a great job

assembling it, I kind of doubted myself...

I'm not happy with what's just happened, cos I feel like part of it's my fault,

and communication wasn't as effective as it could have been,

and I know I should have communicated a bit better

and I should have got them to listen.

Next to tackle the cube are Kerry, Jackie, James and Vijay.

Jackie has so far failed to complete any of today's pool tests.

But with a PhD in physics, she spots a solution...

-L.

-OK. Yeah.

-OK?

L, upright. OK, we'll do that.

-No, no, no, no. L, flat.

-Flat?

..and quickly takes charge of the group.

Flat on the floor, like an H.

A gap on one side.

-Does if fit the grey one?

-Yeah, I see the next one.

-Yeah, go.

-You know you've put the stairs like this?

-Yeah.

You put it in opposite.

-Come down with me.

-I'll come down with you.

-OK.

Soon as you can.

OK, what's next?

She even manages to swim down to the cube to assess what still needs doing.

How's that for teamwork?

That's exactly the way I would have liked to see it.

Finished. Two minutes, five seconds remaining.

-Good work, guys.

-Everybody done?

-Excellent work, team.

Excellent work, Jackie.

-Thank you, Jackie. That was brilliant.

-Yeah. Amazing.

I was glad that it was something I could do in the pool. Oh!

Well done, guys.

I'm rubbish at those kind of puzzles, and I'm the first one to admit it,

so Jackie said she knew how to do it - we couldn't have done it without her help.

If all four of us were diving down, we wouldn't have done it. You were really good.

Look at the smile!

Yes! Yes, yes, yes!

Happy with that.

In order to be selected as an astronaut,

candidates must prove that they are not only physically

but psychologically suited to life in space.

Astronauts now spend up to a year in orbit,

much of their time divided between maintaining the space station and

performing scientific experiments.

There are many tasks in space that can become monotonous over time, and

it is important for an astronaut to be precise and attentive to detail.

Psychologist Dr Iya Whiteley has worked with the European Space

Agency to help astronauts cope with long duration missions.

If candidates are impatient,

they wouldn't be suited for the job in space,

and they could put the mission at risk.

Now she wants to assess the candidates with a test devised by

the Japanese space agency, using origami.

The original test involved making 1,000 paper birds,

each as perfect as the last.

Mine look more like dragons, I think.

-Oh, God.

-Candidates have an hour to make as many birds as they can,

while the panel assess their performances so far.

What did you think of Kerry helping Jackie in the swim?

I think that was a good move, because it is a team occupation.

You have to be working together.

Do you think it was a strategy or do you think it was a genuine response?

Even if she was doing this for herself,

to show that she's a good team player, that's fine.

But she still helped, she still came in within the bracket of time,

she didn't break any rules.

I think that's good.

Any credible astronaut would have helped the person next to them,

so kudos to Kerry, but at the same time...

-Expected behaviour.

-Expected behaviour. Let's talk Merritt.

What did you think of the way she handled the cube assembly test?

It was fascinating, wasn't it? Her group were having trouble.

I think she knew that they weren't going to get there as a group,

and she kind of went out on her own,

I think doing what she thought was best for the team,

but not being part of the team.

If you look at the personality traits across all of our current

candidates, she is the one to stand apart.

The swim test confirmed some of our suspicions about Jackie's swimming ability.

Chris has asked to speak to Jackie.

I thought she did an excellent job as the team leader for the cube

-assembly test.

-She was the secret of that team's success.

She was clearly in control, knew exactly what needed to happen,

and communicated it well enough.

-Hi, Chris.

-Hello, Jackie.

-Hi.

You are smart and brave, and capable.

You have a PhD in theoretical physics...

..and you have mastered so many skills to this point.

But the unfortunate fact is, to be an astronaut,

you have to know how to swim.

It is a fundamental skill that is just a black-and-white requirement.

Learn to swim and make that one more thing that's on the list of stuff

that Jackie's good at. Your confidence will follow.

But the selection process ends for you today.

Good luck to you.

-Thanks.

-Thanks.

The margin for error is getting smaller and smaller all the time.

I think this is astronaut selection,

so we are all being judged against each other,

and obviously she's come along the furthest.

But she's not where everybody else is yet.

Even though I'm sad to go, I am grateful for everything that I've

got to do and to meet Chris. During the time that I've been here,

I have learned a lot about myself.

I do feel more confident,

even though I have probably cried at every single test.

The rest of the candidates have been working on their origami birds

for the last hour.

They're being assessed on both how many they've made and the accuracy

of their folds.

The results provide psychologist Iya with an insight

into their personalities.

This test was interesting.

Kerry made ten cranes with her usual calmness and good precision.

Is this your most recent?

-Yeah.

-Really nice. Look how sharp those wings are.

That is good sharpness.

Producing 11 means Tessa has made the most.

She just immersed herself and was very engaged in the task.

They are all very... Of a very similar quality.

-They are good.

-Thank you.

You did a lot, too. Nice.

I think Merritt's are really nice as well.

Merritt made six, just about the middle of the pack.

But it showed up a weakness in two of the candidates.

Vijay struggled, and he made just one.

He just couldn't pass a certain fold.

James has failed to make any.

Clearly James struggled and he was not able to use that part of the brain.

If someone's got five minutes, they could teach me how to do it,

I'd be much appreciated.

Origami was very useful for me,

because I saw how they dealt with frustration,

whether they paid enough attention to detail,

are they able to follow a repetitive, monotonous task,

and still do better every time?

Since Nasa retired the shuttle in 2011,

the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station

has been on board the Russian Soyuz spacecraft...

..which means that training for the trip and all in-flight procedures

are conducted in Russian.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

When I was first hired as an astronaut, I spoke no Russian,

and yet I went on to help build the Russian space station Mir,

and to fly a Russian spaceship...

..and operate in emergencies, in a language that was not my own.

So as an astronaut candidate,

you need to show an aptitude for other languages.

Hello, everyone.

Iya and I come bearing gifts.

Chris and native Russian speaker Iya

are sending the candidates home to work on a new assignment.

What Iya has in her hand is homework.

On these pieces of paper,

there is a list of phrases in the Russian language,

and we made a recording on these little MP3 players.

Practice until you get your Russian letter-perfect.

Astronaut selection is one of the most competitive moments

in your whole life.

-Menya zovut.

-Menya zovut.

You have to always be striving to get better at this thing

than you were yesterday.

THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN

Thank you.

The candidates have just three days to learn as much Russian as they can.

Preparation is everything.

In order to succeed as an astronaut, preparation is key.

Kak dela - how are you?

Otlichno - great.

I'm going to have to be like someone who has taken this block

of marble - if I just keep chipping away at myself...

THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN

..sculpt myself into something that might be suitable to

have somebody trust me to fly a spaceship.

RUSSIAN SPEECH ON TAPE

This way.

And that's the type of person we need -

who has had a relentless lifelong drive to improve who they are?

Legs is nogi - that's both of them.

-Yeah.

-Noga is one.

Well done. Excellent.

For commercial airline pilot Tessa,

this is another step towards achieving a childhood dream.

I've wanted to be an astronaut since I was about ten years old.

This was your first attempt at landing on the moon.

-Yeah.

-You remember?

So I used to talk about being an astronaut all the time as a kid.

You did.

I said to the teacher I wanted be an astronaut.

She basically laughed and said, "Don't be silly, you can't be that."

So I was like, "Right, I'll be a pilot."

"You can't be that either, that's a man's job."

It made me more determined.

I went and did a masters degree in astrophysics.

And then I did close-protection security work in order to save

to be a pilot.

All those boundaries that people put up and said, you can't do it...

..this is me actually achieving it and showing everyone, actually, you can.

For the next stage of advanced selection,

the astronaut candidates are heading abroad.

A taxi is coming to pick me up in about three hours to take me to the

airport, to go who knows where.

Their destination is Cologne in Germany.

But they have no idea what tests lie ahead.

-TAPE:

-Arms, ruki.

Legs, nogi.

Welcome to Cologne. That was a seven out of ten for that landing.

-TAPE:

-Good morning - dobroye utro.

The candidates have come to the German space centre, the DLR.

This state-of-the-art facility is a hub for European space research.

20 second stress test.

Astronauts from all over the world come here to train.

Nicely said. That was beautiful.

Welcome. I came here during my astronaut training many times,

not just to learn about the science of space flight,

but also to train and prepare for space flight itself.

Once you actually get into orbit, of course,

the time to train and learn a new skill is almost zero.

You have to somehow gain all of your skills here on Earth.

We need you to demonstrate today that you have the aptitude to gain

these skills, so the stakes are high.

Few outside the astronaut corps ever get the chance to train at this facility.

The gravity of this place...

You know, it's made such an impression on me.

This is where they train astronauts.

You know, Tim Peake has actually been here.

Chris has trained here. It's where they do it.

First stop for the candidates is the facility's vestibular lab.

Space agencies prepare astronauts for missions by submitting them to

different stresses which mimic the physiological effects of being in space.

The vestibular system is a very important and quite complicated system,

it is how you know where you are in the world, what your orientation is,

and how you're moving.

In space, weightlessness does interfere with your sense of balance and coordination.

Today, the candidates will be spun in the lab's rotating chair

used to help astronauts train for space adaptation syndrome,

or space motion sickness.

-Dobryy den.

-Dobryy den.

-Hello.

-Hey.

First they are given a simple baseline test

used by space agencies to measure manual dexterity.

For each task, 30 seconds.

-Ready?

-Ready.

And go.

As many pegs as possible must be placed in the holes within 30 seconds.

The test is performed first with the dominant hand,

then the non-dominant hand.

And go.

Then both hands together.

-Please have a seat.

-After being rotated in the chair,

the test will be repeated to see what effect a stressed vestibular

system has on their performance.

Being sat in a chair where astronauts have actually sat and trained is such a privilege.

Hopefully I don't dirty it with my vomit.

Please start spinning now.

What this chair does is produce something called sensory conflict.

It gives their eyes and their inner ear - the organs of balance -

conflicting inputs, and so that's quite hard to cope with.

Any candidate unable to perform effectively after spinning

in the chair could be sent home.

The chair starts spinning quite slowly, and so I thought,

"OK, this isn't so bad."

And then it just gradually accelerates until it's going

quite fast, and I can't see anyone or anything,

it is just all blurring past my eyes.

Keep the whole time the eyes, please, open.

OK.

Tilt your head forward.

-Backwards.

-Closely scrutinising the candidates is psychologist Iya.

And down.

How are you feeling, Tim?

Feeling a bit clammy.

This test is not an attempt to make them sick.

This is beginning to simulate what it's like to have disturbed sense

of balance and coordination.

What we want to do is give them a sense of what that feels like,

then see how they perform afterwards.

I'm hoping that maybe the dance training will come

in handy, cos we have to be, like, super spatially aware.

Merritt has a unique skill set,

combining studying for a PhD

in quantum physics at Oxford University...

..with professional ballet dancing.

You are rotating as well as trying to stay balanced,

and moving in a certain direction.

I'd feel really, really stupid if I messed this up.

And stop.

While still feeling the effects of the chair...

And start.

..the candidates repeat the pegboard test.

Stop.

With both. Go.

I was really worried, but it was mind over matter.

It was just like, I have got to get these pegs in the hole.

Stop. OK.

Merritt has managed not only to match her score,

but to improve on it.

Thank you.

Mission completed.

Go.

And stop.

And start.

No matter what's happening in a space flight,

there's always the next task, the next job.

Even if you are feeling nauseous,

you have to be ready to throw the switches or check the pressurisation

or whatever is required.

And stop.

So what we're evaluating the candidates on is how well can they

focus and control themselves to do this same task.

So far, all the candidates have completed the test without a

significant difference in their scores.

Stop.

My performance wasn't affected too much.

I wouldn't fancy staying in there for 30 minutes,

but three were all right.

Kerry had the highest baseline score.

And stop.

But hers is the biggest differential in the retest so far.

It is interesting that Kerry's performance has been affected by the chair.

Surprising, given Kerry's RAF background.

Thank you.

The pressure's on for everybody.

I don't think you ever feel completely safe.

I think all of us are always in danger,

it seems like we're always only one task away from going home.

Last to take the test is James.

-Have a seat.

-Thank you.

He is particularly concerned about his performance.

I have only got one vestibular nerve, I'm missing the right one completely,

which is why I've got this lovely piece of ear jewellery now.

I've got only one input saying which way I am in terms of my verticality.

Can it land on top? Shall I move the aerial over...?

In 2002, my wife thought I was ignoring her a bit more than usual,

and said maybe I've got a problem with my hearing.

This one was for the moon buggy to see if anything was wrong.

I had a scan and unfortunately it turned out I had an acoustic neuroma,

which is a benign tumour growing inside my skull.

Oh, no!

That was then removed in 2004.

I lost my balance, I had no control of balance on my right-hand side.

It was quite frightening. But I'm very much a sort of, well,

this is the problem, this is the solution,

we'll deal with it and we'll move forward.

That goes here. Yeah.

-We've got a space shuttle.

-Yeah.

Zoom!

Keep your eyes completely open during the test.

Put your head back, OK, and start spinning.

It's going to be interesting to see how James copes with this.

There is damage to the nerve there that transmits signals from the

inner ear onwards to the brain,

and so his sense of balance will probably also be affected,

so he may have a problem with this test.

If he can't cope with the physical stresses of space,

James's chances of selection will disappear.

Now tilt your head to the left.

My sole purpose is to get to the end of today and still be in this process.

Three, two, stop.

Starting now.

And stop.

Go.

Stop.

Go.

And stop.

Even though he has only one vestibular nerve,

James, too, beats his score.

See you later.

THEY SPEAK RUSSIAN

I don't feel my hearing loss has held me back in this process.

I'm chuffed to bits, to be honest, that it hasn't.

I feel like I'm on a level playing field with the rest of the candidates.

He is operating with one nerve functioning correctly.

I haven't seen a difference in comparison to other candidates.

Every time we think it's going to be a factor for him, it's not a factor. You know,

at every point where you think his hearing impairment or this poor

vestibular sense in one ear is going to hurt him, it doesn't seem to hurt him.

One of the most critical moments of any space flight

is when the astronauts must dock the ship they've left Earth in...

..with the craft that they are travelling to.

During my first space flight,

we were going to go up and dock with the Russian space station, Mir.

Docking in a way no-one had ever docked before.

This was still very new back in 1995.

And when we got ten metres away, all of our equipment let us down.

OK, Houston, we have the data and we are about to start the manoeuvre.

We were now faced with an unexpected situation,

but with no-one there to fix it but us.

Fortunately we had practised like crazy in every simulator

we could think of.

Four inches...

We hit the target almost perfectly on time,

and at just the right closing speed so it would not break all of Mir.

-Look how close that thing is!

-That sucker is right there.

Suddenly we looked around and realised we had done it.

-Nice job.

-Good job, man.

-Well done.

And purely the result of practising for things to go wrong.

Today's astronauts have to dock the Russian Soyuz capsule with

the International Space Station.

The range rate is -0.14.

It takes years to train for this dangerous and complex manoeuvre.

Now the candidates are about to attempt it themselves.

Things are about to get harder.

We're going to now continue your assessment in a Soyuz simulator

to dock with the International Space Station.

There are computers onboard that do a lot of the manoeuvring,

but they fail.

In fact they fail about one time out of five.

During my first space flight and my third space flight,

and during Tim Peake's flight,

we had to do manual dockings with the space station.

You always have to be ready to take over and dock.

Everything is on the line.

If you get it wrong, you can kill everybody on the space station.

The stakes couldn't be higher.

And the only thing that can save it...

..is you.

Good luck and fly well.

The test we've got ahead of us is I think what I call a going home

test. You make a hash of this, you are going home if you epically fail,

so it is just trying to not epically fail at what we've got to do.

First to attempt to dock the Soyuz is Merritt.

-Hello, Merritt.

-Before the test starts,

each candidate will have some instruction from Chris...

SPEAKS RUSSIAN

..who has first-hand experience of docking the capsule.

I am so nervous about this task.

I have to be super focused and try to pick it up as quickly as I can.

Welcome to your Soyuz simulator.

-Supercool.

-Cool.

The candidates will be aiming for a docking point located on the end

of the space station.

In this simulation the ISS is represented by a cylinder and

the docking port by a cross on the end.

-ASTRONAUT:

-The final few feet prior to contact and capture.

On a real space flight, astronauts use crosses to align the two ships...

Crosshairs are aligned.

..and so must Merritt.

If the angle is perfect, the black cross covers the red.

This is exactly the same as the target that we have on the space station.

It's called an offset cross.

If you were perfectly lined up you would just see the black, OK?

-Any questions?

-I think...

-I think I'm good.

-OK, so, whenever you're ready just push that little

toggle lever and it will begin.

The candidates have ten minutes to approach and successfully dock

with the space station.

It's really hard but they have to be able to pick it up and

be good at it quickly enough so that we can train them in the time

that's available.

HE SPEAKS RUSSIAN

To add to the complexity of the test,

Chris is issuing key instructions in Russian...

..checking that the candidates can translate,

perform and respond as they would need to on a real Soyuz mission.

But what's happening here?

OK, I am too high so I need to move down.

Speed there of a tenth of a metre per second.

There is your distance.

-Metres.

-Yes.

-OK?

-I probably need to go a bit faster initially.

I am not going to tell you how, I'll just tell you what.

OK.

Five minutes left.

Yeah, I can feel that with practice I can get there. I just don't

have time to practise. I have to do it.

I have to nail it the first time.

I feel like I've been pushing this for quite a while.

Yeah, you are disappearing off the view, so...

The closer they are to docking, the more sensitive the controls.

So the smallest adjustments have dramatic effects.

You're separating like you're driving away at 0.3,

and you are almost 100 metres away.

Every correction is sending Merritt further off course.

So you have a big sideways problem.

Two minutes remaining.

You might want to point at it so you don't lose sight of it.

You are going down on your control.

-You need to go up.

-Oh, God.

One minute remaining.

30 seconds.

Ten seconds.

Time.

Time's up and Merritt's still 23 metres from the target.

So...

-You didn't dock.

-My brain's just, like, hurting!

Merritt had a lot of difficulty flying the spaceship today.

She had just no idea what she was doing.

She spent nine minutes just sort of floundering around trying to figure

out what anything did.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

I'm so frustrated, I want to do it again now.

Cos... It's...

You do one wrong move, and you're just...

And it's haywire to get it back.

I was freaking all over the place. I was here, there and everywhere,

a little bit like Dory in Finding Nemo.

Just like, "Where am I going?"

This way? That way?

I do not want to get thrown out yet.

I hope I did well enough to stay in.

One of the biggest challenges in docking is controlling the speed of approach.

We want you to dock with the space station going at an exact speed.

That speed is one tenth of a metre per second.

Hit the target a fraction too slowly, and they will fail to dock.

Three minutes remaining.

Instead, bouncing off the space station.

But hit it a fraction too fast and they could critically damage

the ISS, killing everyone inside.

90 seconds left.

Right there, come on.

One minute remaining.

With less than a minute to go,

both Suzie and Vijay are within 15 metres of the target.

Make sure you don't hit the station too hard.

30 seconds.

Don't let it disappear from your field of view.

-I'm trying not to.

-So turn.

-Ten seconds.

-Oh, I am right coming into line.

Time's up.

Suzie has failed to dock,

ending up eight metres from the target.

Three seconds.

Vijay also fails to dock,

but comes closer at just two metres short of the target.

-Thanks very much.

-Thank you.

It's a really hard test. I'm still a bit kind of shaking from it, just from the amount of adrenaline.

-Thank you so much.

-Thanks.

I thought beforehand I had the capacity to really make a terrible job of it.

But what I didn't do is crash into the space station

and kill everyone on board, so that's got to be a plus.

Three minutes remaining.

As an RAF pilot, Kerry is used to training in simulators.

Everybody has got their sights set on winning,

and as the process is going on, it makes my desire to get to the end

-even more.

-With two minutes to spare...

4.9 metres and ready to dock.

..Kerry becomes the first person to dock successfully.

Complete.

-Nice job.

-Thank you.

I think that should have been one of my strong points.

I would have been pretty gutted if I'd messed it up.

But I was still within my comfort zone.

Hey, guys.

Hey.

Yeah, I'm OK, survived.

The mission objective was to dock the Soyuz

and that's what I was aiming for.

If you haven't managed to dock it, then I'd say that's not a success.

It's intimidating - Chris is sitting right next to you.

I'm like...

Actually, it's not too bad.

But, yeah! He's just watching you.

You can feel his breath and you're like, "Don't mess up!"

Good luck, Tim. Don't smash it.

-Wow.

-Hello, Tim.

-Hey, Chris.

-Come in, have a seat.

-Thank you.

-Nice to see you.

-Welcome to your Soyuz simulator.

-Wow.

-Unlike Kerry,

neither cosmo-chemist Tim or secondary school teacher James

have any experience of a simulator.

If I completely muck it up, I expect I'll feel awful,

cos I expect I'll be going home.

Wrong way, wrong way, James.

100 years ago you needed to be an expert to go in an aeroplane,

but now anybody can do it and I think that's where space exploration

-is heading.

-Inside four minutes for docking.

Thanks, Chris. I don't think it will reach that level in my lifetime,

so if I'm going to ever go up to space I will have to know the skills

of how to fly these machines.

I'm trying.

Two minutes remaining.

Maintaining a near-perfect alignment throughout...

One minute remaining.

..Tim is the second person to successfully dock the Soyuz.

With 40 seconds left.

You, sir, just flew a Soyuz simulator and docked with a space station.

That was amazing. I thought I was doing the real thing for a second.

You've got five minutes left.

After a confident approach from James...

You could dock early if you want.

..he docks successfully,

with four minutes to spare.

Docking.

The fastest time so far.

When I came in to this I had no idea I would be so good at these type of tests,

so I'm really happy that I am, cos this to me is like proper astronaut stuff,

this and the Mars Rover is proper astronaut stuff and I'm quite good

at the proper astronaut stuff so far.

Last up is Tessa.

-Come on in, Tessa. How are you?

-Like Kerry,

a pilot who has had many hours of training in simulators.

I'm really excited.

I get to get taught by an astronaut how to fly the Soyuz,

so this is like my dream come true.

Are you ready?

-Da.

-Begin.

I think my 3-D spatial awareness is pretty good,

so hopefully it does play on my strengths.

Oh, wonky.

Be patient and it gets sensitive when you get close.

Floating away. Not good.

So, you can see looking at the whole space station that you're low

-right now, right?

-Yeah, very low.

So you need to go up.

-Watch your speed.

-Speed, yep, reducing.

-Now coming up.

-Yeah, so counteract it.

So, what is your speed doing right now?

My speed is 1.2.

-Going away.

-Away.

-Right, so you need to go in.

Cos right now you're opening.

You're flying away at 1.4 metres a second.

Tessa got wildly out of position.

The engines were firing and firing and firing,

and she didn't see that her speed was getting out of control.

And then she had to fight it and slow it down.

And now solve angles and fly in.

90 seconds remaining.

Ten seconds.

Tessa's time is up and she has failed to dock,

finishing over 20 metres from the target -

one of the worst performances of the day.

I'm kicking myself for not docking it.

I feel like I may be in a more vulnerable position now.

-Thanks, Tessa.

-Thank you. I'm not too sure where I sit

within the group at the moment.

So no-one crashed into the International Space Station?

-No.

-And no-one threw up.

-Yeah.

-This has been a good day.

I got to see all seven in the spacecraft docking test.

For Vijay and Suzie, they were sort of average.

They did OK. Kerry did a good, competent job.

She got it docked.

Tim and James, they almost taught a lesson in how to do that,

but for Merritt and for Tessa, this was a really difficult test.

Tessa had a lot of trouble,

constantly overshooting to one side.

It was like a war against this machine to try and get it under control.

I don't want to go home.

I'm realistic that I'm one of the four that didn't dock it.

I hope Chris sees that I have what I have in me.

Watching Merritt, she would have one hand in the air while she was

operating the other hand controller.

It would be like watching someone get into a car and not realise that

you needed to hold on to the steering wheel while you're driving

-down the road.

-It's not that only a very small number of people can do

all these skills, it's only a very small number can take on all these

skills as quickly as they need to take them on to make the programme

of training tractable in the time that you've got.

There is nothing I can do.

I think I'm mostly just frustrated with my performance.

My fate is in Chris's hands.

We'll have to see.

Just so tough, because it's such a high bar, such a high level.

We don't know at the end of the day what the most important thing is in terms of...

I think the Soyuz will be the main thing that they are going to be judging it on.

I find Tessa is able to learn systematically.

With Merritt it's sort of like trial and error.

Those two styles are very different,

and I'm thinking one of them would be more successful for an astronaut.

-Hello, Merritt.

-Hi.

Your spacecraft docking test did not go well.

How do you think you did?

I was obviously disappointed that I didn't dock.

There were people that flew it significantly better than you did.

At the end where the time expired, you were still nowhere near docking.

The tests only get harder from here on in.

In the astronaut office,

we need people who master the skill as fast as possible.

Who have a proven ability to quickly grasp it.

So unfortunately your astronaut selection process ends today.

I do really appreciate this and I understand.

I wish you enormous success, both in your PhD

and in all things that are going to follow from that.

-Thank you very much.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

But I could see your learning curve,

and so we are not sending you home today.

But I want you to re-evaluate something.

I don't want you to think of yourself as, you know,

just lucky to be able to fly a Soyuz simulator,

but to realise that you have out-flown your past.

Make that part of who you are.

-All right?

-I will. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Tessa.

I'm not going home.

-Hey.

-How are you doing?

I'm good. I spoke to Chris.

Basically I need to really be more confident in myself.

Keep telling yourself you can do it and try and believe in yourself.

Yeah, exactly.

Get rid of that impostor syndrome.

I do understand that it's how you perform,

so when he was like I was the worst one on that,

it was kind of, like, fair enough.

My dream of being an astronaut is not over.

I'd say it's kind of just the beginning,

like I've now experienced all these really cool things,

I want to do more.

This is, you know, something that I want to do.

Just six astronaut candidates have made it through to the next stage of

advanced testing, but for them the selection process is about to get tougher still.

This is a human centrifuge.

The candidates head to a secret space facility,

and face a test with life or death consequences.

Really plummeting right now.

Oxygen failure, oxygen failure, oxygen failure.