'Die Astronautin': Private Campaign Seeks First German Female Astronaut

Now a private effort is underway to find, train and fly the first German woman to the International Space Station by 2020. Since launching "Die Astronautin" (The Female Astronaut) in March, HE Space has narrowed its initial applicant pool to a list of 120 candidates. The original call for Die Astronautin applications produced 408 qualified candidates — a 32 percent increase over the number of German women who applied (but who were not selected) for the European Space Agency's 2009 cla