Kiwi woman aiming for the stars

BY TOM FITZSIMONS

A stellar academic is in line to boldly go where no New Zealander has gone before - and she has Darth Vader to thank for reaching for the stars.

Karen Willcox, an associate professor at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is in the running to become the first Kiwi in space.

The West Aucklander is one of 47 people shortlisted for Nasa's astronaut training programme.

About 15 space cadets will be selected for the rigorous two-year camp in Houston, Texas, which includes training in mathematics, geology, meteorology, guidance and navigation, land and sea survival, scuba diving and space suits.

On hearing that she had been shortlisted, Dr Willcox said: "I've always been interested in space and air travel, so naturally I'm pretty excited to be considered by Nasa. I'm trying not to think about it too much until they make a decision."

The engineering graduate has wanted to become an astronaut since she was five years old watching Star Wars movies.

She works in the aeronautics and astronautics department at MIT, researching ways to drastically improve the fuel efficiency of commercial aeroplanes.

A keen mountain climber and ultra-marathon runner, Dr Willcox has worked for Nasa before at the Dryden flight research centre in California.

Research astronomer Grant Christie, from Auckland's Stardome observatory, said making the astronaut shortlist was a "very considerable achievement".

"And if she were accepted, that would put her on a par with somebody winning a medal at the Commonwealth Games, as far as I'm concerned."

HOW TO BE AN ASTRONAUT

* Become a citizen of the United States - though there are rare exceptions.

* Pass a strict physical examination - including excellent vision and healthy blood pressure.

* Get a bachelor's degree in engineering, biology, physics or mathematics.

* Grow to between 1.57m and 1.93m.

* To be a pilot, put in 1000 hours of flying in jet aircraft.

* Be patient - some astronauts wait years to lift off.

- © Fairfax NZ News