SPACE AMBASSADOR

In 2011, Nancy Vermeulen personally met one the greatest pioneers of the commercial space travel industry, Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Galactic, which offers space voyages. Sir Richard inspired Nancy Vermeulen not only to apply her knowledge and expertise to science, but to share it with the public at large too. Nancy Vermeulen is now a highly sought after speaker on international platforms.

SCIENTIST

As a scientist, Nancy Vermeulen conducted research at the University of Antwerp (Biomedical Physics) and at Delft University of Technology (new technologies for greener air traffic). Nancy Vermeulen was involved in working on a new instrument for measuring climate change from space for the Royal Belgian Meteorological Institute / Solar-Terrestrial Centre of Excellence. She also lectures in physics and mathematics.

COMMANDER - ANALOG ASTRONAUT

Nancy Vermeulen was the commander and chief organizer of the "MDRS90" mars simulation mission. She developed this project, presented it to NASA’s Mars Society and obtained permission to train a team in a "Mars simulation mission" at the "Mars Desert Research Station" in Utah, U.S.A.

During the mission, Nancy learned how to carry out scientific experiments during a mission and what to do in an emergency.

PILOT

To increase her chances of becoming an astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA), Nancy first wanted to learn to fly within the atmosphere. She therefore trained as an airline pilot at the Flight Academy of former Royal Belgian Airline Sabena.

As one of the few female commercial pilots, Nancy flew large Boeing 727s and Airbus 300s.

She also flew an Airbus 300 cargo plane to Baghdad during wartime, risking her own life. For this, she received a special military operations award from the U.S. government. Later, she became responsible for VIP passenger flights and trained professional commercial pilots herself.

CANDIDATE ASTRONAUT ESA

In 2008, the space adventure could begin! Nancy was able to participate in the European Space Agency’s stringent astronaut selection process. Only one in ten candidates was female. To prepare for the extensive astronaut training program, Nancy Vermeulen learned scuba diving, followed a high-altitude training and became an aerobatics pilot.

QUALIFICATIONS

Nancy Vermeulen already knew as a child what she wanted to be: "an astronaut". She worked at the observatory and planetarium of Antwerp in her free time. She completed her studies in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Antwerp magna cum laude / with high distinction.

Nancy Vermeulen has a Master of Science in Physics.