Five things to know about French astronaut Sophie Adenot, who completed her first phase of training in Germany

Its takeoff for space is getting a little closer, even if for the moment, the date and outlines of its future mission remain unknown. French astronaut Sophie Adenot has completed the first phase of her training at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne (Germany).

She will receive a diploma on Monday April 22, crowning her success during this basic training (basic training), alongside his classmates: the Spaniard Pablo Alvarez Fernandez, the British Rosemary Coogan, the Belgian Raphaël Liégeois and the Swiss Marco Sieber. On this occasion, franceinfo looks back on the career and personality of this helicopter pilot who spent seventeen years in the army.

1 She had the spark at the age of 14 thanks to Claudie Haigneré

Daughter of a notary and a pharmacist, Sophie Adenot grew up in Nièvre. At a very young age, she became interested in mechanics thanks to her grandfather. “It was he who gave me his love of machines, because he was a mechanic in the air force”, she declares in a portrait dedicated to her by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She also repeated that she was marked by reading biographies of women scientists, notably that of Marie Curie, devoured around the age of 11.

But one event particularly stands out in the construction of her journey: the departure on mission of the first French astronaut, Claudie Haigneré, on August 17, 1996. A few hours after the officialization of her selection among the new class of European astronauts, in November 2022, Sophie Adenot explained on the set of the 8 p.m. news on France 2 the importance of this stage.

“I was 14 when Claudie Haigneré made her first trip to space. For me, it was clearly a trigger.”

Sophie Adenot, astronaut

on France 2

Sophie Adenot constantly mentions this mission as a revelation setting her course. “I said to myself, ‘OK, from now on, I’ll do whatever it takes to get there.'”she insisted on BFMTV. “My journey was built around this dream”she also declared in March 2023 when she went, alongside her idol, to Toulouse, the center of the aeronautics and space industry in France.

As determined as she is, Sophie Adenot remained discreet about her dream for several years. “I didn’t talk about it much outside of the family cocoon, with my friends. Perhaps for fear of being made fun of”she declared to the Teen worldin April 2023. He had to wait for his higher studies to allow himself to discuss this ambition in public.

2 She went to the same school as Thomas Pesquet

In addition to belonging to the contingent of French astronauts of the European Space Agency, Sophie Adenot shares at least one other point in common with Thomas Pesquet: their passage through a prestigious school, Isae Supaero, the Higher Institute of Aeronautics and the space located in Toulouse.

Aerospace engineer Olivier Toupet met Sophie Adenot on the benches of this establishment, before following, like her, a course at the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston (United States). Unsurprisingly, the one who worked for NASA, piloted three rovers and a helicopter on Mars, confirms the interest shown by the French astronaut in space subjects during her higher studies.

“One thing I remember is that she was always very passionate about space. Of course, she was part of the space club at Supaéro.”

Olivier Toupet, aerospace engineer, former friend of Sophie Adenot

at franceinfo

Sophie Adenot, who sees herself as a “ambassador” keen to inspire younger generations, is the godmother of an operation entitled “Dare l’Isae-Supaéro”. This campaign“social openness” intends to promote access to higher education for as many people as possible. “It is important that all those who wish to embark on the scientific, aeronautical and space adventure, whatever their social or geographical origin, can have a chance.[L’important est] at least to know what is happening, and how we access such studies and such professions”, she explains in a school video. And to quote the philosopher Seneca in the presentation of this program: “It’s not because things are difficult that we don’t dare, it’s because we don’t dare that they are difficult.”

3 She was a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan

Sophie Adenot spent seventeen years in the Air and Space Force, between 2005 and 2022. She did not make this choice by chance. “I I joined the Air Force with the dream of becoming an astronaut.”she declared in an interview with the Ministry of the Armed Forces, after her selection by the European Space Agency.

While in the Army, she flew helicopters and participated in two overseas operations in Afghanistan. In 2019, she became the first woman to be a helicopter test pilot for the Directorate General of Armaments. If the profiles of astronauts are very varied (with aeronautical engineers or even neuroscientists), Sophie Adenot believes that her experience within the army gives her an advantage in teamwork and extreme situations.

“My experience allows me to be operational, even in an environment where we will be subjected to intense stress.”

Sophie Adenot, French astronaut

in an interview with the Air Force and Defense

4 She is a yoga teacher

This sports enthusiast also found time to become a certified yoga teacher. However, she reserves her classes for her relatives and friends. Yoga for an astronaut, a strangeness? Rather a necessity to maintain a certain balance. As she prepares to travel into space and face situations of extreme stress, Sophie Adenot explained that this practice allows her to “anchor”to have “serenity”of“maintain the body for well-being” And “performance, then, when it is needed”.

5 She had already tried her luck during the 2008 selection phase

Determination is not measured by success alone, but also by attempts. Sophie Adenot participated in the 2008-2009 European Space Agency astronaut selection session, during which Thomas Pesquet was selected. She applied at the age of 25, whereas you have to be at least 27 to hope to be accepted.

To her own surprise, she had slipped through the cracks and was only eliminated in the third stage. There were then only 180 candidates left compared to some 8,400 initially. “It was a failure, but at the same time, I didn’t believe in myself at all. It was the greatest failure because I was able to prepare myself, for the ten years that followed, for this new selection”she declared to the Figaro.

During the astronaut recruitment phase launched in February 2021, around 20,000 candidates crowded the starting line. Sophie Adenot managed to stand out. The one who has since become a mother assures France Télévisions that her son “is just happy” for her. “When one is happy, the other is happy in sharing”, she declares when the question is asked to her, at the microphone of France 24 as well as that of RTL. And to emphasize: “When you do things that are a little out of the ordinary, usually there’s a supportive family behind it.”