Should you choose one profession for your whole life? Pedro Duque certainly doesn't. He was selected as an astronaut in 1992. After two space missions, he worked at the University of Madrid and then ran a satellite applications company. But space continued to attract, so he returned to ESA to lead all of Europe's activities on the ISS. And then he also served as minister of science, innovation and universities in the Spanish government from 2018 to 2021. In total, Pedro spent almost 19 days in space. His first mission was in 1998 as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Discovery (STS-95). In 2003, he flew on the Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station for the Cervantes mission. Did you know this about Pedro? - He trained as an aerospace engineer. He had worked for ESA for six years before being chosen as an astronaut in 1992. - Pedro worked on major European components of the ISS. Columbus space laboratory and the Cupola viewing dome. - When he first went to space, he took spicy chorizo sausage and two kinds of cheese with him in his personal luggage. - Pedro flew in the space shuttle with John Glenn. The latter, at 77, was the oldest astronaut ever. - He was the first Spaniard in space. - Nearly eight million Spaniards watched Pedro launch live on television aboard the space shuttle. - His favourite books are Rendezvous with Rama, Moby Dick and Cosmos by Carl Sagan.