bb1v+@andrew.cmu.edu (Barry Lowell Brumitt) (02/26/90)
I remember a long while back there was a discussion on how NASA selects astronauts, etc etc... I'd like to know more. I know they divide up into pilots and mission specialists etc, but how are they chosen... and better yet, how does one apply? Realisticly, I know it's an amazing long shot, but I can't think of any profession I'd prefer, and failure to at least find out about it would be foolish. It can't hurt. Thanks, Barry Brumitt bb1v@andrew.cmu.edu "He builds too low, who builds beneath the stars."
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (02/27/90)
In article <0ZuAFgK00Uh_M28MJm@andrew.cmu.edu> bb1v+@andrew.cmu.edu (Barry Lowell Brumitt) writes: >I remember a long while back there was a discussion on how NASA selects >astronauts, etc etc... I'd like to know more. I know they divide up into >pilots and mission specialists etc, but how are they chosen... and >better yet, how does one apply? ... Here's the latest version of my occasional posting on the subject: Q. How do I become an astronaut? A. We will assume you mean a NASA astronaut, since it's probably impossible for a Westerner to get into the Soviet program, and the other nations have so few astronauts (and fly even fewer) that you're better off hoping to win a lottery. Becoming a shuttle pilot requires lots of fast-jet experience, which means a military flying career; forget that unless you want to do it anyway. So you want to become a shuttle "mission specialist". If you aren't a US citizen, become one; that is a must. After that, the crucial thing to remember is that the demand for such jobs vastly exceeds the supply. NASA's problem is not finding qualified people, but thinning the lineup down to manageable length. It is not enough to be qualified; you must avoid being *dis*qualified for any reason, many of them in principle quite irrelevant to the job. Get a Ph.D. Specialize in something that involves getting your hands dirty with equipment, not just paper and pencil. Forget computer programming entirely; it will be done from the ground for the fore- seeable future. Be in good physical condition, with good eyesight. (DO NOT get a radial keratomy or similar hack to improve your vision; nobody knows what sudden pressure changes would do to RKed eyes, and the long-term effects are poorly understood. For that matter, avoid any other significant medical unknowns.) Practise public speaking, and be conservative and conformist in appearance and actions; you've got a tough selling job ahead, trying to convince a cautious, conservative selection committee that you are better than hundreds of other applicants. (And, also, that you will be a credit to NASA after you are hired: public relations is a significant part of the job, and NASA's image is very prim and proper.) The image you want is squeaky-clean workaholic yuppie. Remember also that you will need a security clearance at some point, and the security people consider everybody guilty until proven innocent. Keep your nose clean. Get a pilot's license and make flying your number one hobby; experienced pilots are known to be favored even for non-pilot jobs. Work for NASA; of 45 astronauts selected between 1984 and 1988, 43 were military or NASA employees, and the remaining two were a NASA consultant and Mae Jemison (the first black female astronaut). Think space: they want highly motivated people, so lose no chance to demonstrate motivation. Keep trying. Be lucky. -- "The N in NFS stands for Not, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology or Need, or perhaps Nightmare"| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
kcarroll@utzoo.uucp (Kieran A. Carroll) (02/27/90)
>henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > > Here's the latest version of my occasional posting on the subject: > > Q. How do I become an astronaut? > > A. We will assume you mean a NASA astronaut, since it's probably impossible > for a Westerner to get into the Soviet program... Looks like this version needs updating, Henry, what with the (privately- sponsored!) British astronaut who's to go up to Mir within the year. For that matter, I wouldn't be surprised to see Canada send someone to Mir in the near future, as the Canadian Space Agency has been pursuing a number of cooperative projects with the Soviets in recent years. Perhaps the updated version should read, "...since the US State Department is virtually certain to forbid US nationals from flying on Soviet space stations (because of the embarassment factor), at least until after "Freedom" is permanently manned..." -- Kieran A. Carroll @ U of Toronto Aerospace Institute uunet!attcan!utzoo!kcarroll kcarroll@zoo.toronto.edu
4223_5403@uwovax.uwo.ca (Ket M'thau) (02/27/90)
In article <1990Feb26.164741.23717@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: > If you aren't a US citizen, become one; that is a must. After that, ...then how did Marc Garneau get to go up? I doubt he'd have been billed as "Canada's first astronaut" had he been an American citizen. Or did he get a dual citizenship? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- <4223_5403@uwovax.uwo.ca> -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= V Ket M'thau >or< JHGR oo I *am* a number. O USS Kepler (NCC 3501) __ In fact, I'm several. + Star Trek Toronto 4223_5403 is just one of many. Have a Day =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Please disregard this notice -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= __ _ __ __ __ __ | | \ |\` \ | | | |\ \ | \ |\ '_| | | | | / |__ | | | \ /\ | , |__ | | \ /\ | , /\ | \ | | | |_| |/
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (02/27/90)
In article <1990Feb26.205124.29029@utzoo.uucp> kcarroll@utzoo.uucp (Kieran A. Carroll) writes: >> A. We will assume you mean a NASA astronaut, since it's probably impossible >> for a Westerner to get into the Soviet program... > >Looks like this version needs updating, Henry, what with the (privately- >sponsored!) British astronaut who's to go up to Mir within the year... Uh-uh, Kieran, the Juno astronaut is *not* getting into the Soviet program. He/she is a *British* astronaut going up as a passenger on a Soviet flight. As such, my comments on other nations' astronaut programs apply: flight opportunities are few and far between, so the odds are much worse than in the US program. -- "The N in NFS stands for Not, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology or Need, or perhaps Nightmare"| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
todd@locus.com (Todd Johnson) (02/27/90)
In article <0ZuAFgK00Uh_M28MJm@andrew.cmu.edu { bb1v+@andrew.cmu.edu (Barry Lowell Brumitt) writes:
{ I remember a long while back there was a discussion on how NASA selects
{ astronauts, etc etc... I'd like to know more. I know they divide up into
{ pilots and mission specialists etc, but how are they chosen... and
{ better yet, how does one apply?
A quick way to get the address ('cos I don't have it here) is to pick
up the new magazine FINAL FRONTIER which has a career guide for those
interested in space (it includes some useful info for lots of jobs
that might get you above the stratosphere).
I looked into this. Mission Specialists need to have at least a
Class II Airman's Medical (20/50 eyesight both eyes correctable
to 20/20, good general health). Astronauts need to have a Class
I Airman's Medical (20/20 eyesight both eyes, excellent health -
you know, the general Superman qualifications). Also the application
forms want to know how much flight time you have broken down by
jet time, combat time and total time (that's for both Mission Specialists
and Astronauts).
They're selecting about a dozen new candidates a year. That's not
many. The waiting time to get a flight is at least 5 years, probably
more (and you spend most of that time being a photo opporunity).
However, I DO recommend applying. The only reason I didn't is that
I KNOW with my eyesight all I'd be is another statistic. Still, that
won't stop me next year - that statistic is probably one that NASA
waves in front of Congress' face when it needs to prove that interest
in space exploration hasn't waned.
<todd>
--
lcc!todd@seas.ucla.edu
{randvax,sdcrdcf,ucbvax}!ucla-se!lcc!todd
{gryphon,turnkey,attunix,oblio}!lcc!toddhenry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (02/27/90)
In article <5089.25e95382@uwovax.uwo.ca> 4223_5403@uwovax.uwo.ca (Ket M'thau) writes: >> If you aren't a US citizen, become one; that is a must. After that, > >...then how did Marc Garneau get to go up? I doubt he'd have been billed as >"Canada's first astronaut" had he been an American citizen. He belongs to the miniscule Canadian astronaut corps. See the clause about that in my posting, to wit: ... the other nations have so few astronauts (and fly even fewer) that you're better off hoping to win a lottery... One or two other foreign nationals have flown on the US shuttle. Same situation. -- "The N in NFS stands for Not, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology or Need, or perhaps Nightmare"| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
colin@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (colin.alan.warwick) (03/01/90)
In article <1990Feb26.164741.23717@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >Q. How do I become an astronaut? > >A. We will assume you mean a NASA astronaut, since it's probably impossible > for a Westerner to get into the Soviet program... Two Britons were recently selected for the Soviet Juno Project.
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (03/03/90)
In article <8551@cbnewsh.ATT.COM> colin@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (colin.alan.warwick,ho,) writes: >>A. We will assume you mean a NASA astronaut, since it's probably impossible >> for a Westerner to get into the Soviet program... > >Two Britons were recently selected for the Soviet Juno Project. Which is a British program. Those two Britons are the British astronaut corps at the moment. One of them will get to fly, once, as a *passenger* on a Soviet flight. They have not gotten into the Soviet cosmonaut corps, and never will. -- MSDOS, abbrev: Maybe SomeDay | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology an Operating System. | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu