Editing Ulf Merbold (section)

== Astronaut training ==
In 1973, NASA and the [[European Space Research Organisation]], a precursor organization of the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA),{{sfn|Lord|1987|p=20}} agreed to build a scientific laboratory that would be carried on the [[Space Shuttle]], then under development.{{sfn|Krige|Russo|Sebesta|2000|pp=59–60}} The [[memorandum of understanding]] contained the suggestion the first flight of [[Spacelab]] should have a European crew member on board.{{sfn|Lord|1987|p=26}} The West German contribution to Spacelab was 53.3% of the cost; 52.6% of the work contracts were carried out by West German companies, including the main contractor  [[Entwicklungsring Nord|ERNO]].{{sfn|Froehlich|1983|p=72}}

[[File:Europese astronauten in Utrechts ruimtevaartlaboratorium v.l.n.r. Ulf Merbold, Bestanddeelnr 929-5963.jpg|thumb|right|Ulf Merbold, [[Franco Malerba]] and [[Wubbo Ockels]] in 1978|alt=Refer to caption]]

In March 1977, ESA issued an Announcement of Opportunity for future astronauts, and several thousand people applied.{{sfn|Shapland|Rycroft|1984|p=104}} Fifty-three of these underwent an interview and assessment process that started in September 1977, and considered their skills in science and engineering as well as their physical health.{{sfn|Croft|Youskauskas|2019|p=62}} Four of the applicants were chosen as ESA astronauts; these were Merbold, Italian [[Franco Malerba]], Swiss [[Claude Nicollier]] and Dutch [[Wubbo Ockels]].{{sfn|Shapland|Rycroft|1984|p=104}} The French candidate [[Jean-Loup Chrétien]] was not selected, angering the President of France. Chrétien participated in the Soviet-French [[Soyuz T-6]] mission in June 1982, becoming the first West European in space.{{sfn|Croft|Youskauskas|2019|p=62}} In 1978, Merbold, Nicollier and Ockels went to [[Houston]] for NASA training at [[Johnson Space Center]] while Malerba stayed in Europe.{{sfn|Chladek|Anderson|2017|pp=252–253}}

NASA first discussed the concept of having [[payload specialist]]s aboard spaceflights in 1972,{{sfn|Croft|Youskauskas|2019|p=12}} and payload specialists were first used on Spacelab's initial flight.{{sfn|Froehlich|1983|p=27}} Payload specialists did not have to meet the strict NASA requirements for [[mission specialist]]s. The first Spacelab mission had been planned for 1980 or 1981 but was postponed until 1983; Nicollier and Ockels took advantage of this delay to complete mission specialist training. Merbold did not meet NASA's medical requirements due to a [[ureter stone]] he had in 1959,{{sfn|Merbold|1988|p=261}} and he remained a payload specialist.{{sfn|Chladek|Anderson|2017|p=257}}{{sfn|Croft|Youskauskas|2019|p=63}} Rather than training with NASA, Merbold started flight training for [[instrument rating]] at a flight school at [[Cologne Bonn Airport]] and worked with several organizations to prepare experiments for Spacelab.{{sfn|Merbold|1988|p=262}}

In 1982, the crew for the first Spacelab flight was finalized, with Merbold as primary ESA payload specialist and Ockels as his backup. NASA chose [[Byron K. Lichtenberg]] and his backup [[Michael Lampton]].{{sfn|Croft|Youskauskas|2019|p=64}} The payload specialists started their training at [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] in August 1978, and then traveled to laboratories in several countries, where they learned the background of the planned experiments and how to operate the experimental equipment.{{sfn|NASA|1983|p=61}} The mission specialists were [[Owen Garriott]] and [[Robert A. Parker]], and the flight crew [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] and [[Brewster Shaw]].{{sfn|Chladek|Anderson|2017|pp=257–258}} In January 1982, the mission and payload specialists started training at Marshall Space Flight Center on a Spacelab simulator. Some of the training took place at the [[German Aerospace Center]] in [[Cologne]] and at [[Kennedy Space Center]].{{sfn|NASA|1983|pp=61–62}} While Merbold was made very welcome at Marshall, many of the staff at Johnson Space Center were opposed to payload specialists, and Merbold felt like an intruder there.{{sfn|Croft|Youskauskas|2019|p=40}} Although payload specialists were not supposed to train on the [[Northrop T-38 Talon]] jet, Young took Merbold on a flight and allowed him to fly the plane.<ref name="merbold young">{{Cite web |title=Ulf Merbold: remembering John Young (1930–2018) |url=https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESA_history/Ulf_Merbold_remembering_John_Young_1930-2018 |access-date=14 September 2022 |date=22 August 2018 |website=esa.int |language=en |last=Merbold |first=Ulf |archive-date=14 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914084422/https://www.esa.int/About_Us/ESA_history/Ulf_Merbold_remembering_John_Young_1930-2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>