The ESA had a similar program in 2008, but the next round has not been announced yet it seems:<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.esa.int&#x2F;Our_Activities&#x2F;Human_Spaceflight&#x2F;European_Astronaut_Selection" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.esa.int&#x2F;Our_Activities&#x2F;Human_Spaceflight&#x2F;European...</a><p>Being an astronaut sounds pretty cool, but personally I don&#x27;t even feel very comfortable in a plane, hence sitting in a rocket with  500,000 kg of explosives underneath me is not something I would really consider doing, independent of the fact that it&#x27;s of course doubtful if I would even physically&#x2F;psychologically qualify for such a task. I hope though that as I get older space travel will become both safer and more affordable, because I would really love to see our planet from outside its atmosphere, even if just for a minute.