Tim Peake Shares Astronaut Test Riddles. Can You Solve Them?

Becoming an spaceman is n’t exactly easy , and those that are currently working through NASA ’s problematic Astronaut Candidate preparation program wouldcertainlysaythat that ’s an understatement . Tim Peake , a British astronaut – and stunningastrophotographer , by the way – has now given a hint as to what the European Space Agency ( ESA ) breeding process was like , and it seems that a few brainteasers were call for .

This is n’t surprising , really : astronauts have to be able to do cognitive acrobatics under rather flaky , literally out - of - this - world condition to keep functioning and to do their jobs up there on the International Space Station ( ISS ) . Still , it ’s an interesting , brief peep under the goon of a somewhat secretive process .

use up to Twitter , Peake share a few “ real puzzler and exercises ” from his selection procedure at the ESA . It ’s part of a promotion for his new Koran , The Astronaut Selection Test Book , which was also co - written by staff at the ESA . Take a look at them below , and see if you’re able to solve them .

Had a think ? Right , well spoiler qui vive : the answer are at the end of the article .

There ’s enough more to cosmonaut training than just work out brainteasers , of course . Sadly , just answer these correctly does n’t mean you get to put on the schmancy gear , head up into space , then return to field questions from TV hosts whoaren’t quite surewhat ’s generally go on with that whole space affair .

The ESAexplainsthat the first stage of training any European cosmonaut get at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne , Germany . There , along with five other classmates , Peake was render an education in scientific , mathematical , engineering , and aesculapian skills . The group were also briefed on the cathartic of orbital mechanic , give some survival training , and even taught Russian .

Next comes 2.5 class of intensive preparation , which fill place at sites all over the world , from the outskirts of Tokyo to Star City in Moscow . Full - sized ISS mockups , actual experimental setup , and piddle tanks to assume weightless spacewalks are just some of the metre deploy by the ESA .

The site also explicate that Peake spent some time going through cave with an international team of astronauts in Sardinia , as well as 12 days in a fake asteroid surroundings named Aquarius – the world ’s only subaqueous enquiry station – find off the coast of Florida .

This is just a abbreviated summary , but the full point is that Tim Peake ’s journeying to perhaps genuine stardom was far from easy . Solving riddles is just a little , if vital , part of it . mouth of which , here are those answer I promise you !