Sunday, March 26, 2000
How to be an astronaut
With construction beginning on the international space station and talk of manned missions to the moon and Mars, more people will be spending more time in space than ever before. Would you like to be one of them?
If so, stay fit and active. Learn a lot of science and math. And if you want to drive, you'll need extensive experience piloting jets.
NASA selects a class of astronaut candidates every two years. The astronaut corps that started with seven men in the Mercury program has grown to more than 160 men and women training for space shuttle and space station missions.
For each astronaut class, more than 4,000 apply and about 120 get serious interviews for about 20 astronaut candidate slots. Those picked to be candidates then must pass through one to two years of training and evaluation to actually become an astronaut.
NASA hires two kinds of astronauts:
• Pilots, who do the flying and command the crew.
• Mission specialists who do most of the experiments, payload deployment and spacewalking.
NASA also flies payload specialists, usually civilian scientists selected by the payload sponsor to run a specific experiment. Payload specialists must also be approved by NASA.
Among the requirements for mission specialists:
• Must be a U.S. citizen, unless part of a joint mission with a foreign space agency.
• Must be between 58.5 inches and 76 inches tall, have blood pressure under 140/90, uncorrected vision no worse than 20/200, and pass a NASA Class II physical.
• Must have at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics; plus at least three years of professional experience. Most candidates get master's or doctoral degrees, which also count toward professional experience.
Pilot astronauts must have:
• A bachelor's degree or more in a scientific field.
• At least 20/50 vision, uncorrected.
• At least 1,000 hours pilot time in jet aircraft. Test pilot experience is “highly desirable.”
• Most pilots still come from military backgrounds. Military personnel seeking astronaut status must first apply through their service branch.
Selection and training
@body:• Finalists get invited to Johnson Space Center for a week of interviews, medical evaluations, orientation and background checks.
• Those chosen as astronaut candidates get one year of basic training including water survival and parachute courses, flight time in T-38 high-performance jets, weightless time on the KC-135, plus technical courses on shuttle systems, astronomy, navigation and other subjects.
• Another year of advanced training involves extensive simulator practice with space shuttle or space station systems plus learning the details of a specific mission.
• Successful candidates agree to a five-year tour of duty with NASA.
To apply
Application packages may be obtained at nasajobs.nasa.gov or by writing to NASA, Johnson Space Center, Attn: AHX/Astronaut Selection Office, Houston, TX 77058.
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