Camille Fournier is an aspiring astronaut aiming to be the first French woman to set foot on Mars. Achieving such an extra-ordinary feat will require years of training which Camille has already started. She already holds a diploma in scuba diving and is a student at the European apprentice astronaut center, where she pursues aircraft and speleology training.
To cap it all off, Camille is an astrophysics student at the University of Savoy in France. She is only 19 years old, and she barely has time for anything that isn’t space-related. It speaks to her level of ambition and her desire to foster scientific research for the prosperity of mankind.
This piece will look at Camille’s family and her lifelong desire to be on Mars.
Camille’s family was initially surprised at her decision to pursue astronomy at the age of 10
Camille was born in Bourgoin-Jallieu in France. At the age of 10, Camille chose to pursue astrology, much to the surprise of her friends and family. Camille’s family supported Camille’s decision when they saw her commitment. She started by studying the theoretical part of astronomy before signing up to space boot camp to start her astronaut training.
Fournier has done a lot of studying and training, but there is still a long way to go before she becomes an astronaut. She revealed via an Instagram stories Q&A that she has seven more years of study and about 15 years before she becomes a certified astronaut. In five years, she aspires to have completed her Master’s degree and passed several certifications.
The coronavirus pandemic messed with Fournier’s schedule, but she is optimistic that she will get a lot done before the end of the year. She announced in early September that she’d started her second year in University:
“Have a good start to the school year! This summer has been incredible for me and I’m going back to university for my second year of Bachelor’s degree in Physics.”
Camille describes the mission to Mars as something that is bigger than life
Camille’s life is set to be one of extraordinary achievement. At 19 years old she continues to pursue academic excellence, she can speak four languages and is undergoing intense astronaut training. Camille’s goal is to be in the best position to lead humanity’s expedition to Mars.
The mission is yet to be confirmed, but Camille is working toward it anyway. She revealed in her Instagram Q&A that she views the Mars mission as something that is bigger than life itself. Camille added that she is open to never returning to earth once she sets foot on Mars: “It’s a possibility but I am not afraid. Like I said before, this is much bigger than my life.”
The driving force behind this ambition is the same as it was ten years ago: curiosity. The need to know what is in space fuels Camille’s desire to push the limit. “Black holes and dark matter, this is so cool,” she wrote. Camille revealed that she wants to be remembered as the revolutionary scientist who found the equation that explains astrophysics by itself.