Laura André-Boyet: “Being an astronaut requires a lot of sacrifices”

An astronaut instructor at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) of the European Space Agency (ESA), Laura André-Boyet has been training crews from various space agencies since 2010. She coaches them, in advance, on experiments in physiology and neuroscience. She didn't intend to pursue this career, but began as an instructor on parabolic flights, which allow for short phases of weightlessness. She published Open Space. My Space Trajectory (Fayard).

LE FIGARO. - What gave you the idea to write a book about your career and your work?

Laura ANDRÉ-BOYET. - The project was born in 2021 during a discussion with the director of the publishing house. I had never really considered writing a book, but we imagined this work in two parts: a first part focused on my various activities – astronaut training, parabolic flight, etc. – and a second devoted to the ecological, economic, legal, and…