BEING AN ASTRONAUT

Becoming an astronaut doesn't just happen overnight. It takes many years of education and experience to meet the basic qualifications. Many people don’t pass the tests the first time. Retired astronaut Clay Anderson wrote in his biography, that it took him 15 tries to become an astronaut. He says that ‘…on 14 of those 15 attempts I was a complete and abysmal failure’. Failed applicants need to learn more to be better prepared for the next try. Even then, only a few applicants become astronaut candidates. It is a hard job to get.

No matter what a person’s background is, the first step is getting the right education. NASA wants its astronauts to have at least a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. There are government programs to help kids that can’t afford the necessary education. With that help and a lot of hard work, they can get good jobs where they can show their capabilities.

Education isn’t the only requirement for becoming an astronaut candidate. NASA requires that a person has at least three years of ‘related, progressively responsible, professional experience’ or at least 1,000 hours of ‘pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft’. In addition to this, candidates must also pass a demanding physical test that includes vision, blood pressure and height. Also, you must be in extremely good shape to be an astronaut. It's expensive to make an emergency return to Earth if there’s a medical emergency in orbit!