RULES
COMPETITION
Astronaut for a day - Luxembourg
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. The "Astronaut for a Day - Luxembourg" competition is organised by the Luxembourg Space Agency and aims to disseminate and promote the space sector among young people, by establishing a link with this sector through parabolic flights that simulate a microgravity environment.
1.2. These rules set out the general and technical conditions to be met by the participants in the context of the "Astronaut for a Day - Luxembourg" competition, including the acceptance of all the rules conditioning the eligibilty of their application.
1.3. The competition finalists will have the opportunity to participate in a parabolic flight, sponsored by the Luxembourg Space Agency, which will take place on 28 September 2023. The parabolic flight is carried out by and under the responsibility of Novespace.
1.4. The finalists will be the ambassadors of this initiative within their school community throughout the 2023/24 school year, and will be responsible for sharing and disseminating their experience, thus helping to cultivate an interest in space.
2. ELIGIBILITY
2.1. All students attending school in Luxembourg and who meet the following conditions are eligible for the competition:
• Being 13 years old or more at the date of the parabolic flight.
and;
• Being during the school year 2022/2023 and the school year 2023/2024 students of secondary education (classical, general or technical) , in a public or private educational institution in Luxembourg, or showing proof of secondary education at home. A school certificate may be requested during the selection process.
2.2. The competition is open to students with disabilities, subject to the absence of a pathology contraindicating parabolic flight. In case of interest, the submission of the application will be conditional upon the issuance of a favourable medical certificate from the candidate's doctor, after a prior interview of the candidate’s doctor with the "parabolic flights" medical commission set up at Novespace, which will give the final decision.
3. SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
3.1. Participants will be subject to a selection process, with several eliminatory phases, inspired by the astronaut selection processes.
3.2. In the case of the participation of candidates with disabilities, with a prior favourable medical opinion, they will be subject to a selection process adapted to their particular case.
3.3. The stages of the general selection process are as follows:
- Stage 1 - Application and motivation;
- Stage 2 - Logic and comprehension tests;
- Stage 3 - Physical fitness;
- Stage 4 - Interview;
- Stage 5 - Final stage.
3.4. The jury selection is the sole responsibility of the Luxembourg Space Agency.
3.5. The final selection of candidates is the sole responsibility of the jury.
3.6. During the initial phase and the interview, candidates are selected on the basis of their motivation and their proposals in the context of their mandate as ambassador of the "Astronaut for a Day- Luxembourg" competition. In phases 2 and 3, the selection of candidates is based on the evaluation conducted by the partner entities of each phase, and the activities to be carried out are presented in Annexes I and II, respectively.
3.7. The results of each phase of the selection process will be sent to the e-mail address provided at the time of registration for the initiative, indicating whether or not the applicant will be able to proceed to the next phase of the process. The final list of candidates selected to participate in the parabolic flight will be published on the initiative's website, in alphabetical order, indicating all those who have been selected and those who are on the waiting list.
3.8. The stages in the selection process will be as follows:
3.8.1. Stage 1 – Application and motivation
The registration and submission of applications take place exclusively on the www.astronautforaday.lu website.
In this phase, the following documents are required
i) Application form;
ii) CV;
iii) Introduction video.
● Application form:
Complete a form with the following information:
(a) First name
(b) Last name
(c) Date of birth
(d) Gender
(e) Nationality
(f) Email address
(g) Telephone
(h) Country
(i) City
(j) Zip Code
(k) Mother tongue
(l) Age at the time of the flight
(m) Name of the school attended
(n) Class attended during the 2022/2023 school year
(o) Form of authorising participation in the event and information according to the model provided (Annex IV)
(p) Language in which the introduction video will be recorded
● Introduction video:
- The introduction video must have a maximum duration of 60 seconds.
A link will be sent to all eligible applicants to record it via a dedicated platform. Upon receipt of the link, the candidate will have a period of 7 days to proceed with the recording. Three attempts will be possible and the candidates will be able to choose to submit the version of the video of their choice.
The purpose of this video is to illustrate the candidate’s motivation in the context of their participation in this initiative. The video will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- ability to synthesise;
- ease in front of the camera and articulation of ideas;
- ability to answer the question on the candidate's motivation and on the activities to develop as an ambassador;
- clarity of ideas, proposed activities;
- creativity in the production of the video.
The Luxembourg Space Agency, alone or with another partner to be designated, will evaluate the videos received and select up to 250 students for the second stage.
3.8.2. Stage 2 – Logic and comprehension tests
The full description of stage 2 is provided in Annex I to these rules, of which it forms an integral part.
Up to 125 students will be selected for the third stage of the selection procedure.
3.8.3. Stage 3 – Physical fitness
The full description of stage 3 is provided in Annex II to these rules, of which it forms an integral part.
Up to 60 students will be selected for the third stage of the selection procedure.
3.8.4. Stage 4 – Interview
The participants will be invited to an interview that will last between 10 and 30 minutes and will be organized by video-conference (online) in the presence of a jury whose composition will be revealed later.
Following the interview, the jury will draw up a list of ranked candidates, of which the first 25 will be selected for the final phase. Candidates 26 to 35, not selected for the final round, will be placed on a waiting list.
3.8.5. Stage 5 – Final phase
The final phase corresponds to the participation of the candidates in the parabolic flight, provided that all the necessary conditions are met. The remaining candidates will have the opportunity to be placed on a waiting list, in order to participate in the flight in case of absence of one of the 25 finalists.
The selected students must pass the necessary medical examinations required by Novespace, in charge of the flight, in order to be considered fit to fly. The medical examinations are carried out at the place indicated by the organizers. Annex III indicates the medical conditions to be verified, the required medical examinations and the model form to be completed by the doctor in charge.
The final authorization and the authorization to board are the responsibility of Novespace.
To participate in the parabolic flight as part of the "Astronaut for a day - Luxembourg” competition, the selected students must also attend the activities prepared by the Organizers in the days preceding the flight.
4. FINAL PROVISIONS
4.1.1. Underage students must submit written authorization from the holder(s) of parental/legal authority to enter the competition f, in accordance with the model provided in Annex IV.
Underage students selected for the 2nd stage will have to present the written authorization, according to the model provided in Annex IV, along with the signature of the respective holders of parental/legal authority and a copy of their ID. The authorization with the required documents must be submitted up to 2 days prior to the date of the logic and comprehension tests, or risk exclusion from the evaluation process.
4.1.2. In the event of false statements, exclusion will be immediate, regardless of the stage of the assessment process at which the candidate is when these are discovered.
4.1.3. All costs resulting from any travel to the places where the physical tests are held are to be borne by the candidates, the organizers being in charge of the costs of the food (lunch and snacks), the hiring of coaches and renting of rooms. During the flight, the organizers will provide competitors with round-trip transportation between a specific point of departure, to be communicated later, and the place of flight, as well as food and accommodation.
5. SCHEDULE
The schedule presents estimated dates that may be changed without notice; the exact dates of each phase will be those communicated to the applicants and published on the www.astronautforaday.lu website.
6. ANNEXES
Click below to download the annexes: