Europe’s first female astronaut to set foot in space
Dr. Insa Thiele-Eich researched the effects of climate change in Bangladesh. She belongs to Germany and is a meteorologist by profession. She has been training over the past few years to go into space. However, if she survives the final stage, she will be the first European woman astronaut to set foot in space.
Intensive training is underway, targeting the International Space Station (ISS). Training is going on over two German women to send them into space.
One of them is Insa Thiele-Eich. Another woman who took training with Insa is Dr. Suzanna Randall. She is an astrophysicist. They have been undergoing various theoretical and practical training for the last few years.
Dr. Insa Thiele-Eich said, “At ISS, research will conduct on the effects of weight loss on the human body, especially on women’s bodies, based on our two-week scientific mission. It is necessary to get training for a long mission like Mars. We still do not have enough information about how the female body will behave in space.
Insa has already completed a parabolic flight. She also got a license as a pilot. Besides, she has isolated herself in a cave and has taken training underwater.
All these training, journeys, and locations for space travel are all very expensive. Therefore, there is a debate about whether there is any need to send people into space.
In her words, “Of course you can say that sending people into space is very expensive Instead, this money should be spent on solving other problems of the world. There is no easy answer to this question.”
“Speaking of which, space research money will not spend on other work. We already have the money and resources needed to keep all the people of the world hunger-free and clean. But for political or other reasons, we can’t do that,” Insa added.
Insa Thiele-Eich has done a Ph.D. on the impact of climate change on Bangladesh. Many parts of the country are submerging due to rising sea levels, which are the direct consequences of global warming. As well as increasing river salinity, erosion, storms, and tidal surges, many people are at risk, although they have no hand in climate change.
Insa said, “Our research has shown that climate change will exacerbate many of the current problems in Bangladesh. For instance, many people are not getting pure water right now. Climate change will exacerbate this problem, especially in areas where different countries share the river. “
According to the World Bank, about two thousand people are leaving villages and moving to cities in Bangladesh every day. Seventy percent of them are climate refugees.
However, many are still trying to adapt to the changing situation. As a result, various initiatives are underway at the individual level, including increasing the height of the dyke in the coastal areas.
Insa thinks that the international community should help Bangladesh. She further added, “We have also researched what the people of Bangladesh are doing to adapt to climate change.
We have seen that many people have social capital. That is, their social bonds are strong and they come forward to help each other. This is a very positive thing. Financial capital is another issue in this regard; Bangladesh should seek financial assistance from different countries of the world to tackle climate change.”
Either Insa or Susanna will consider for the final spaceflight. If all goes well, a German woman will be the first European woman to fly into space next year. However, Insa said, “This journey is often delayed for various reasons. So, it is difficult to say the exact time.”
