You must be competent in biology, chemistry, physics and medicine, or be an engineer or pilot (preferably the whole lot). You need a good memory, reasoning abilities and concentration, as well as good spatial abilities and manual dexterity. Oh yes, and you must have a good head for heights ... and speaking Russian would be a bonus.

If this sounds like the job application spec from hell you'd be right. But then this is not just any job. The European Space Agency has announced officially that it is looking for a new cohort of astronauts. The Guardian broke the story in March.

The good news for Brits is that despite the UK government's policy of not getting involved in human space flight (it does not contribute to that part of ESA's budget), the agency is accepting applications from all 17 of its member states.

"We want to find high-calibre men and women in Europe to prepare to meet the challenges of ISS exploitation and human exploration of our solar system in the 21st century," said Michel Tognini, former astronaut and Head of the European Astronaut Centre.

Applications open on 19th May and ESA has published details of its gruelling screening process.

To even be considered, applicants will need a medical certificate from a certified Medical Aviation Examiner. Next they will be subjected to two stages of psychological and professional aptitude evaluation. Then follows another medical evaluation and a formal interview before the ESA selection board.

The successful candidates will be chosen in 2009 and become part of the ESA astronaut corps. They will begin training at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany.

If you reckon you have the right stuff, here are some tips from Gerhard Thiele, former astronaut and head of the European Astronaut Division:

The ideal European astronaut candidate should be competent in relevant scientific disciplines, including but not restricted to life sciences, physics, chemistry and medicine and/or be an engineer or pilot, and should have demonstrated outstanding abilities in research, applications or the educational field, preferably including operational skills. In addition, characteristics expected of all applicants include a good memory and reasoning ability, concentration, aptitude for spatial orientation, and manual dexterity.

Good luck!