Do you have the right stuff for space travel? Take the test ...

LONDONERS will be able to see if they have the "right stuff" to become an astronaut at the Science Museum this week.

The museum's Dana Centre will encourage visitors to take tests used by the European Space Agency to choose its astronauts. They include assessments of performance under pressure, in which space wannabes must hit changing targets with a laser pointer via a series of mirrors. The exercise aims to discover whether subjects can perform quickly under intense deadlines.

Visitors will also be tested on teamwork, co-operating with others to guide a small remote-controlled helicopter through an obstacle course.

They will be assessed on their resilience to G-force, with volunteers strapped to a chair, spun around and asked to fit blocks through a cut-out template.

Each visitor will receive a score showing their fitness for space.

Astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy from the European Space Agency will give a talk. Maya Mendiratta, of the Dana Centre, said: "We hope people will have a lot of fun, but also get a better understanding of what it takes to be an astronaut."