Astronaut

Imagine floating in space, looking down at our amazing planet. That is what an astronaut gets to do! An astronaut is a highly trained person who travels into space, often to conduct scientific research and experiments aboard spacecraft like the International Space Station (ISS). They learn how to fly complex machines, maintain equipment in zero gravity, and perform scientific tasks that help us understand more about Earth, space, and the human body. Astronauts need to be super clever in science and maths, very fit and healthy, and excellent at working as part of a team, often in very challenging conditions far from home. Being an astronaut involves years of intense training, learning everything from how to deal with emergencies in space to speaking different languages, like Russian, to communicate with international partners. They might also train for spacewalks, which are incredibly exciting but also very dangerous. It is a career that requires extreme dedication, a thirst for adventure, and a deep interest in science and exploration. While it is a very rare job, especially for someone from the UK, it is a dream career for many and incredibly important for advancing human knowledge.