Dr Suzie Imber - Astronauts: Do you have what it takes?

Dr Suzie Imber, from the University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, is a step closer to becoming an astronaut after being crowned the winner of the six-part BBC series. Dr Imber fought off tough competition from 11 other exceptional candidates, chosen from thousands who applied, including scientists, engineers and pilots, to receive the ultimate reference – Chris Hadfield’s backing for her application when the space agency ESA next take on astronaut recruits. As part of the programme, the candidates were put through a series of gruelling tests to find out who had the special qualities needed to be an astronaut using standards set by the world’s space agencies. They were assessed by astronaut and former Commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield, along with former NASA medical researcher Dr Kevin Fong, and psychologist Dr Iya Whiteley. During the series, the candidates had remarkable access to astronaut training facilities around the world including the state-of-the-art German Space Centre, a secret facility in Sweden and NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Suzie is an associate professor of Planetary Science and a graduate of the University of Leicester, having studied for her PhD in the Department of Physics and Astronomy under the supervision of Professor Steve Milan. She has held posts at NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre and the University of Michigan, and is currently involved in instrument design and operation for ESA’s next mission to Mercury. Suzie was an international lacrosse player in earlier years, and is also an elite rower and a highly-experienced mountaineer. She has written computer code to identify and map unclimbed peaks in the Andes and Himalayas before setting off to climb them herself, completing several first ascents. Suzie has been interested in space from a young age, and has spent her academic career looking at our solar system – her current research looks at terrestrial space weather and Mercury’s magnetosphere. This film was produced by Marketing and Student Recruitment, University of Leicester. Filmed & Edited by Carl Vivian Produced by Ellen Rudge