my dream job astronaut essay

Essay on I want to be an Astronaut in English

I have a dream to become an astronaut when I grow up. An astronaut is a person who goes to space in a spacecraft and study the universe.

Once I saw an astronaut on tv and she showed how everything was flowing in the space. When she poured water from the bottle, it flew upward in many drops. All that was looking like a magic to me and I want to do it too. I also love the suit and helmet that the astronauts wear because it looks very strong and powerful.

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My Dream To Be An Astronaut

I am honored to be one of the few who have been considered for the Alien Life Mission. Growing up I have always wanted to be an astronaut. Now, my lifelong dream is possible, thanks to fantastic space programs like yours. I have thought a lot about why I made it this far, and I believe it is because my strengths on this expedition far outweigh my weaknesses. Growing up, I was always an athlete. That was my lifestyle. Any chance my brothers and I could get to play a soccer, football or baseball game we would. Whether that was at the beach or in the middle of the street with all the neighborhood kids on Thanksgiving. All throughout middle and high school I played soccer at one of the highest levels in the game. That taught me how to be mentally tough and to reach for my goals. My love for sports and fitness in the end, lead me to here. The Space Camp was extreme and one of the hardest things I have even endured physically and mentally. Personally, I do not know if would of made it without sports. Now, being fit is important. However, with that needs to come academic success and problem solving skills. In this journey, all school subjects no matter how small come in hand. My parents when I was just starting High School said, “Being a well rounded person is more important than just being good at one thing. To be great you must be great at everything.” This was a motto I soon came to live by, not just in school but life as well. In school, I maintained an overall average above 95 and was in the National Junior Honor Society. I joined many sports teams and played the flute in concert band. Even though you already knew this, when you read through my resume these accomplishments help me achieve every day and will on a foreign planet. Lastly, one thing you have never heard from me is my weaknesses. I am a person who is very stubborn and tends to micromanage every little thing. I work well when I have some extent of control. And even though I have spent hours in the simulator and class, I still do not know how to control that ridiculous spaceship (no offence). However, I am a friendly person who loves all people, and I do know how to drive a boat pretty well. Aside from all the jokes, I feel that even though I may not be perfect, I will work my hardest to continue to learn and do great things.

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I Applied to Be a NASA Astronaut. You Can Too

R ecently, I applied to become an astronaut. I would like to be able to say that there is a non-zero chance I will be accepted, but sub-zero is more like it. Not a whole lot of people who can actually recall Sputnik—which, for the record, was launched on Oct. 4, 1957—quite make the age cut to climb on top of a rocket. Still, I filled out the nine-page form and sent it in, even if I have no doubt I’ll wind up in the cosmic slush pile.

You, however, may have more luck. NASA is hiring ; on March 5 it opened its doors to a new class of 12 or so astronauts and will be accepting applications until April 2, though it is considering extending the deadline to accommodate more candidates. The salary is $152,258; the place of employment is the Johnson Space Center in Houston—with work trips to, you know, space. But it’s best to prepare yourself for disappointment. NASA hires a new astronaut class every four years or so, and back in 2015, a peak year, there were about 12,000 applicants—a number that could be matched this time around too, says April Jordan, NASA’s astronaut hiring manager.

“There were certainly some things going on in the world then, like The Martian coming out,” says Jordan. The rise of the private space sector and the beginning of NASA’s Artemis lunar program could similarly turbocharge things in 2024. Not every one of the applications in 2015 was entirely serious, and things are likely to be the same now. “We actually have a fair number of folks who apply just to get the rejection,” Jordan says. All the same, untold thousands will apply in earnest, and NASA is making a special effort in this recruitment round to stress that it is becoming ever-more egalitarian, ever-more receptive to astronaut candidates who don’t fit the narrow fighter-jock profile.

In 1958, when America went casting about for its first class of seven astronauts, candidates had to meet a range of rigorous standards , including being military test pilots with more than 1,500 hours in the cockpit; possessing a degree in the physical sciences or engineering; standing no more than five feet, eleven inches tall, in order to fit into the tiny Mercury spacecraft, and more. Then too, there were the unspoken criteria: the people selected were all white, all male, all family men.

Those walls have long been coming down, but only slowly: After more than 65 years in the space game, NASA has flown 329 astronauts, 54 of whom have been women. The numbers are even lower for Black Americans, with just 17 making trips to space. Still, progress is accelerating. In 2020, the space agency announced the 18 astronauts it had selected for the Artemis lunar missions it intends to commence next year; nine of the crewmembers are women and 10 are people of color, three are women of color, and two are Hispanic.

“More than a decade ago, NASA decided that equity and inclusion would be part of its core values,” says Victor Glover, a Naval aviator and Iraq war veteran who was selected in the astronaut class of 2013 and spent six months aboard the International Space Station in 2020 and 2021. He will also be the first Black person to visit the moon when he and the other three members of the Artemis II crew make a circumlunar journey in September 2025. The team also includes Christina Koch, the first woman assigned to a moon mission. “[NASA’s] decisions have led us to having an astronaut office that looks very much like America," Glover says. "You could reach in and grab any four people, and they would look like our crew.”

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NASA’s astronaut application is, in many ways, like most job applications—with sections to list education, work experience, references, and more. Military service is included as well, but it is not the absolute criterion it once was. The astronauts who make it through the current selection process will not just be demographically diverse, but professionally too. Firefighters and other first responders are especially prized by the 21st century NASA. “They are people who run into dangerous situations,” says Jordan. Former collegiate athletes are also attractive for what Jordan calls their “teaming skills.” Still, the application leaves no mistake about how particular the talents required for an astronaut gig will be. 

“The duties of this position require moderate to arduous amounts of physical exertion involving walking, standing, heavy lifting, crouching, crawling and exposure to inclement weather. Are you willing to perform arduous physical activities as part of your duties?” reads one part of the form.

“Astronaut candidates and astronauts live, work, and train in remote, isolated, small, or confined spaces for prolonged periods of time,” reads another. “Are you willing to spend extended periods of time in remote, isolated, small or confined spaces?”

And then there is the one that can cause a lot of candidacies to come undone: “[Astronaut] training requires extensive travel…where family members are not always able to join. Are you willing to participate in extended travel and periods away from home?”

For Glover, who is married and the father of four girls, that question required a lot of thinking. “There is this myth of work-life balance ,” he says. “I don’t use that term. This job changes your life and your relationships forever. Some astronauts have spouses and kids and some don't, but you still have parents and siblings and a whole life to manage.”

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Perhaps the most demanding part of the vetting process is the in-person interview with the NASA selection board, a committee of 10 to 12 people made up mostly of astronauts, as well as senior level NASA officials such as flight directors. One of the requirements for that meeting calls for candidates to write a short, one-page narrative on any topic they choose. For this, Glover took a chance, composing an essay he titled “Girls Like Astronauts.” The selection panel did not have to get far into what Glover wrote before realizing that the girls he was writing about were his daughters.

“When you first see the title it’s like, ‘Oh, gosh, what is this about?’” he says. “But then I talk about the romance of space and aviation, that it’s something I get to carry for a while and bring back to my girls. And it just might help them be proud of me.”

Glover took another chance when the board asked him about a mistake he had made in his life and what he learned from it. For a pilot hoping to take the next step up from jets to spacecraft, a near-disaster in the cockpit would seem like a topic to avoid, but Glover had had one such hair-raising episode during his Naval service, and he decided to tell the truth. The incident occurred when he was participating in an air show, flying off of the aircraft carrier George Washington near Japan. Most of the maneuvers the pilots flew were scripted, but Glover chose to improvise on one, flying over the water at 95% of the speed of sound, and then rotating to a nose down position before climbing again. The sky was clear except for one cloud, which turned out to be directly in his path, causing him to fly too low.

“I realized I could see bubbles in the water very clearly,” he says. “I just pulled the stick into my lap and I bottomed out at 32 feet above the water.”

Glover flew back to the carrier, apologized to the commander for what he had conceded was showboating and promised no such thing would ever occur again. A gunnery officer then invited Glover to take a moment of privacy in his office. He accepted and, when he was alone, cried.

“The board isn’t just looking for achievers,” Glover says. “Everyone has messed up in their lives, and it’s how you overcome it and what you learn about yourself that counts.” That bit of candor evidently impressed the selection committee—setting Glover off on a trajectory that, in 18 months, will take him to the moon.

I, almost surely, will not be following. Barely hours after I submitted my application I received a polite acknowledgement from NASA. “Thank you for your interest…and for applying to be an astronaut candidate,” it read. “You have successfully submitted your initial application.”

My success is certain to stop there. Still, we live in a time when even the likes of me can dream a little dream and indulge a little fantasy. Space travel was once the province of only a particular kind of person—a particular kind of man. That, happily, has changed. We don’t all get to fly, but we all get to see ourselves in the people who do.

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“I want to be an astronaut”

Tell the students in your life the good news—at last, ‘astronaut’ is a real job.

Mike Mongo #IAmAI

space frontiers

“My name is Mike Mongo and I am an astronaut teacher!”

For over six years now, I have been delivering that line to rooms full of young students and to adults. It sets the stage but in two very different ways. When I say it to a room full of students, I have them from the word go. In fact for some, they have been waiting to meet their own personal ‘astronaut teacher’ for some time: They know they want to go to space. And then for yet other students, it is like having their eyes lifted from ground level to the stars. It sparks their imagination. It is like a revelation.

Then for adults, the first reaction is generally amusement. ‘How quaint,’ I can almost hear some scoff. Often, a reaction I get is skepticism. And from some, what I get is outright scorn.

It is only to adults I have to explain the secret of how I came to be an astronaut teacher. Which is fine, because the fact of the matter is adults need astronaut teachers maybe more than kids.

As most people know over the age of 35 or 40 (I’m 48), when we grew up space industry was supposed to be the career field we were going to get to go into. Being born in 1965, I can safely say that at least half the kids I knew growing up saw themselves as future astronauts. My sister—two years younger than I—actually went to work at NASA for a time in the early-90's before settling into the greener pastures of Seattle high-tech start-ups. Yet for most of us, as we grew older and became better ‘educated’ the dream of space traveling moved further and further behind us.

We all know the reasons—Congress cutting funds to space program, space industry not developing in the private sector, influential adults in our lives pushing ‘mature’ career decisions—and in the end the vast majority of us did not go into space careers, much less become astronauts.

Which is what I face when I talk with adults about being an astronaut teacher: rooms full of frustrated space dreamers.

Fortunately, only a few have turned to cynicism. (They are the one’s who say to my face or right out loud, “well, what makes you an astronaut teacher?” More on that later.)

Most warm-up after an encouraging but mild debriefing. The establishing of my credentials—“What I do is encourage students to consider pursuing careers in astronautics and STEAM* fields.”—allays initial misperceptions or confusion. As it turns out, adults are just as receptive to my message as kids.

My message is simple: Here at this juncture in history, if you are between the ages of 9 and 13, by the time you are 25 you can live work and play in space.

Now for a pre-teen middle school student today, that’s roughly 2025 (give or take). And so begins my pitch.

Jump back 100 years ago to around this time at the beginning of the 20th century—around 1900 to 1910. Around then some amazing things were happening all at once. Electricity, radio, automobiles, aeroplanes. All these things were being invented, mastered and made public.

Now in the beginning of the 20th century, because of the limitations of technology, it took around 3 months to get word out across great distances of news of any ground-breaking invention or significant breakthrough. Yet by 1914, when the whole world lost its mind and became insanely devoted to war (yes I say it nearly exactly like that), all of these new inventions were drafted into use for wartime operations. That transistion happened fast, from invented-and-discovered to public-and-widespread.

Now jump forward again here to the present. Whereas back then it took 3 months to break news of inventions and discoveries, with the internet and satellite communications it now takes approximately 3 seconds to reach almost every point on the globe.

Furthermore, here at the head of the 21st century, we are also at a time of breakthrough. Everyday amazing new discoveries and developments in research and communications are happening, so fast that it is well-established “rule” that the processing power of new computers doubles again every 18 months.

You can picture this for yourself by thinking of the first iPhone in 2007 compared to modern smartphones which translate speech-to-text and can now actually talk to us. The first iPhone couldn’t even shoot video, and that was just over five years ago. Now people are making full HD movies using smartphones!

In other words, advancements in technology happen fast, and they are only getting faster. For instance, next year for $200,000 you can get a ride to space. Now imagine where that is going to be in 5 years. Now, in 10 years time. It is safe to say that by then people we know will be vacationing in space.

And where there are space vacations, there are space jobs. The key than (and here’s the clincher) is positioning .

Explaining positioning to kids is exciting. Particularly middle school-age students, because at that age is when we begin to imagine ourselves in possible careers for the first time. It’s called social valuation .[1] It’s how we see ourselves, and social class and ability level play a big part in it. That’s why ‘astronaut teaching’ is important: to communicate to students at that age that they can be astronauts, and also to explain the how to of positionings themselves for space careers.

This is where I get the adults attention too. More than anything, parents (and aunts and uncles and all the adults who have kids in their lives they think the world of) as a rule want to provide their kids with the tools to succeed and to make their kids happy by encouraging their dreams.

(Blatant plug: Which is why I wrote the book, Mike Mongo’s Astronaut Instruction Manual for Pre-Teens , or HUMANNAIRES!.)

So yes I wrote a book. At age 42, a realization about my own life and career suddenly shifted from latent to kinetic, and it suddenly dawned on me that chances were looking very, very, very slim that I would be an astronaut. As a youth, this might have been crushing. But as an adult with an outlook that was (and still is) equal parts Everything Always Works Out and When Life Gives You Key Limes Make Limeade (I live in Key West), I put on my thinking cap and began working on, how was I as a full-grown adult going to get to space?

Thinking back on being my kid-self again, I began to remember the importance of teachers to my dreams of the future and of being an astronaut. (Mr Rizzly and Mr Oliver at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School, Pinellas Park, FL, in particular stand out in my memory.) That’s when it hit me:

If I can’t be an astronaut, then the second best thing is to be an astronaut teacher!

What I need in my cause was allies. I realized that if I do right by enough students who become astronauts (or work in space careers), at least one of them will want to see to it that “their astronaut teacher” gets to space too — and that can be me!

That’s how it all came together. In 2007 I wrote The Manual, and then I pursued the role of astronaut teacher, mainly by writing and speaking on the subject, but equally important by reminding every kid I ever meet about the reality of pursuing a career in astronautics . Now I am one of the go-to people for anything to do with kids and astronautics. Just last year, I got to address a roomful of scientists and authors —including physicist Freeman Dyson (!) and author David Brin (!)—at University of California, San Diego on connecting with the kids in our lives around us and about being an astronaut teacher

The fact is I was never once shy about introducing the idea to students and kids, and they cheered me on. So by the first time I first got to stand before a room of adults and announce, “My name is Mike Mongo and I am an astronaut teacher!,” I had already been validated many times over by hundreds if not thousands of young students. By the time I came to stand up and stating my case to other adults, I was indeed an astronaut teacher .

And this is where my message for young students and adults diverges just slightly. For students, I wrote the manual, which explains among other things the value of believing in your dream, the value of allies in your cause, and of course the value of doing what you love.

For adults, I explain that once we were kids and we wanted to be spacewoman and spacemen and space people. For most of us, that dream actually lives on even if it has become somewhat dormant. (To the cynics, raspberries. What, you forgot how important these dreams were to you as a kid?? Time out for you—you’re assigned to the jungle gym and the schoolyard playground until you come back with your priorities properly sorted.)

Our job, then, as adults is to say to every young person we see, “Have you thought about a career in space? Have you ever thought about being an astronaut?” And that’s the secret of being an astronaut teacher. You see, I’m an astronaut teacher, alright, but I’m not the only one. In our own way, all of us are astronaut teachers . The secret is owning up it.

Students need dreams for the future. When we were kids we either had them or we wanted them. If you had dreams about the future or wanted to be encouraged to have the freedom to dream about who or what you could be, both of these are the incentive it takes to empower us all as astronaut teachers. An astronaut teacher is someone who says you can—and should—do whatever you love… and here’s how !

Ah yes, the ‘here’s how’ part? Here it is: Follow your dreams. Do what it takes. Don’t stop believing. Trust your heart. Follow your passion. Do the work. See it, be it. Keep your feet on the ground and your eyes on the stars. And, of course, each one teach one.

How would I know? Well, I’m glad you asked. You see, my name is Mike Mongo, and believe it or not, I am an astronaut teacher!

* STEAM = Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics . Lots of my peers say STEM and leave out the Arts. I’m the guy that explains that with science-fiction films, paintings, and writing—not to mention dance, poetry, and videogames—most of us would not be pursuing our passions. Plus, who wants to be in space without artists? Most of scientists, researchers and astronauts I know are part-time makers or musicians of some sort. All work and no play makes Jill and Jack dull space scientists. Think of Commander Chris Hadfield’s recently popularized rendition of ‘Major Tom’ and you get the picture about the relevance of arts to space. How do we move humankind from earth to space. STEAM, of course!

References. 1. Gottfredson, L. S. (2002). Gottfredson’s Theory of Circumscription, Compromise, and Self- creation. In D. Brown (Editor), Career Choice and Development (4th ed.). San Francisco: Jossey- Bass. (p. 97.)

Written by Mike Mongo #IAmAI

Watch my TEDx Cape Canaveral talk, "Do You Believe in AI?" sherlockholmes.live

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Astronaut Mike Mullane

Astronaut :: Professional Speaker :: Author

To Become An Astronaut

In my early NASA-retirement years, I was frequently asked for my thoughts on becoming an astronaut. In 2003 I provided those thoughts in the following document. To make them more widely available I’m publishing them to this website. Please be aware this is ‘dated’ material. My comments reference the shuttle-era. I do not know what changes in astronaut selection criteria have occurred in the past 14 years. However, I do believe many of the comments in this document remain applicable to those pursuing the current astronaut program.

I have one timeless suggestion…visit NASA’s website and review the biographies of recently selected astronauts. Those bios will give you a very good idea of what ‘worked’ for astronaut selection. Also, periodically review NASA’s website for future announcements on astronaut selection criteria.

What follows are my thoughts written in 2003.

– December 2017

TYPES OF ASTRONAUTS

There are two types of career NASA astronauts: pilot astronauts and mission specialist astronauts. If you are thinking of being an astronaut, it is essential you make an early decision (no later than entering college) as to what type of astronaut you want to be. Your early career path will differ significantly depending upon this decision.

Let me explain the difference in these astronaut positions. As the name implies, pilot astronauts are trained to fly the space shuttle. So, obviously, pilot astronauts must be pilots. While they might receive some training in the mission payload operations or learn to operate various experiments, the majority of their training is devoted to learning how to fly the space shuttle and understanding the space shuttle’s various systems.

Mission specialists are the astronauts who are most responsible for space shuttle orbit operations. They spend most of their training time learning how to operate various experiments, use the robot arm, build and maintain the International Space Station, and do space walks. Like the pilots, they will be extensively trained in all the space shuttle systems, but they will not be trained to fly the space shuttle.

For sake of completeness, I should mention there is another astronaut position titled Payload Specialist. Payload specialist astronauts are NOT career NASA astronauts. These are individuals from universities and industry who have unique backgrounds in various areas of science, backgrounds that are not duplicated by any of the pilot or mission specialist astronauts. For example, a payload specialist might be a cardiologist who will do research on heart function in weightlessness. Payload specialists usually fly only one mission (though some have flown multiple times). Payload specialists are only given emergency and habitability (eating, sleeping, using the toilet, etc) training. If you want to know more about the payload specialist astronaut position, contact NASA. I will not address that position in the following discussion.

ASTRONAUT ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS

If you look at the ‘Vacancy Announcement’ on the NASA web site, you’ll notice the academic requirements to be a pilot astronaut and a mission specialist astronaut are identical, that is, a bachelor of science degree in engineering, science or math. But the information goes on to say, “An advanced degree is desirable.” I think this could be changed to read, “An advanced degree is REQUIRED.” Astronauts without advanced degrees are exceedingly rare. To drive home this point, please look through some astronaut biographies, specifically at their academic backgrounds. It won’t take long to appreciate how desirable NASA considers an advanced degree to be. Personally, I don’t believe you would be very competitive as a pilot applicant without a minimum of a Master’s degree or a mission specialist applicant without a PhD degree.

Be sure to read the website comments on studies that have a technological or science ‘ring’ to them but are not considered qualifying for an astronaut position.

You should also note the comment which reads, “Quality of academic preparation is important.” This doesn’t mean your degree must be from MIT or Cal Tech or West Point or some other prestige school. If your degree is from an accredited school (state, private, large, small, Academy, etc) you have met the academic background to apply to be an astronaut. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a Ph.D. from a ‘reputation’ school, but it’s no guarantee your application will be more favorably differentiated from a person with a Ph.D. from Podunk U. Also, the science/engineering reputation of the school from which you get your advanced degree is probably more important to a selection committee than where you did your undergraduate studies.

Another important point about the astronaut application process is that you will have to submit your college transcripts. GRADES WILL COUNT IN THE ASTRONAUT SELECTION PROCESS. Make sure you study and rack up some good grades!!!

PILOT ASTRONAUT – OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Refer to the ‘Basic Qualification Requirements-Pilot Astronaut Candidate’. What does it say about pilot experience? It says you need “at least 1000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Flight test experience is highly desirable.” Notice it doesn’t say you HAVE to be a military pilot. Nor does it say you HAVE to be a test pilot, though it’s highly desirable. In fact, reading this requirement would lead you to believe an airline pilot (with the proper academic credentials) could compete for a pilot astronaut position. Most airline pilots have many thousands of hours of pilot-in-command jet flying time. But the reality is, all the NASA pilot astronauts selected during the shuttle era, beginning 3

in 1978, are graduates of the Air Force or Navy test pilot schools. (Marine test pilots are usually graduates of the Navy test pilot school. Also, the Air Force and Navy test pilot schools have an exchange program with test pilot schools in various foreign countries. Some pilot astronauts are graduates of those foreign test pilot schools.)

Don’t be fooled by literature you might have read about civilian pilot astronauts. There have been some of those. For example, Neil Armstrong was a civilian pilot astronaut when he landed on the moon. But, if you look at his biography, he is a former Navy pilot and graduate of the Navy test pilot school. NASA’s website would be more correct to say, “You MUST be a graduate of a military test pilot school.” Someday, NASA might select civilian, non-test pilots as pilot astronauts and the vacancy announcement leaves that door open. But they haven’t done so yet. This means, if you are dreaming of being a pilot astronaut, you MUST make plans to enter the military and aim for pilot training and test pilot school.

Before you do that, however, you should investigate your physical qualifications for pilot training. It would be a big disappointment to make plans to be a military test pilot as you enter college, only to find out years later you are not physically qualified. So, I would strongly recommend, before you get too deep into college, you take an FAA-type of physical exam. With that exam in hand, you should call the Air Force and/or Navy to determine if you are pilot qualified. The military pilot physical requirements might be more stringent than those of the FAA (military eyesight requirements frequently are). Call any Navy, Marine or Air Force base with flying operations. Then, ask the base operator to connect you to Flight Medicine or to the Flight Surgeon’s Office. People in those offices would be the ones to ask about current eye-sight requirements, acceptance of corrective eye-surgeries, asthma conditions, heart murmurs, etc.

If you find you would physically qualify for a military flying program, then you need to make decisions on entering the military. To make those decisions, you need to know a couple things. First of all, to be a military pilot, you MUST be an officer. To be an officer, you MUST have a college degree. The best ways to complete these requirements are to enter one of the Academies (the Air Force Academy or Naval Academy) or to enter an Air Force or Navy university/college ROTC program. When you graduate from the Academy or complete an ROTC program, you would have a college degree and be a commissioned officer. In other words, you would be qualified to apply for pilot training (assuming you are physically qualified).

One word of caution on routes into the military. If you intend to be a military pilot, DO NOT ENLIST. While it is true, as a college-degree-holding enlisted person, you might be able to get into officer training school, get a commission as an officer and then enter pilot training, there are no guarantees of that career path. Once you enter the military you are at the mercy of a giant bureaucracy and it might be very difficult to convince that bureaucracy to send you to an officer training school. It would be MUCH better to enter the military as a commissioned officer from an ROTC or Academy program. Also, you will note, I did not mention my alma mater, West Point, or Army ROTC as a suggested path to pilot astronaut. While a number of army helicopter pilots have become mission specialist astronauts, none have become pilot astronauts. So, I would recommend you pursue the Air Force or Navy flying programs (Marine pilots are trained by the Navy). Also, be aware the Air Force and Navy (and NASA) won’t care about the source of your commission, be it ROTC or one of the Academies. So, if you don’t think you would like the discipline and limited social life of an Academy, then shoot for college ROTC.

Assuming you are successful at completing a Navy or Air Force pilot training program, then you should focus on getting into one of those service’s test pilot schools. Then, as a test pilot, you can apply to NASA for a pilot astronaut position (through whatever procedures your service would have for that application process).

MISSION SPECIALIST ASTRONAUT – OTHER REQUIREMENTS

To be a mission specialist astronaut you do NOT have to be in the military. You do NOT have to be a pilot.

OTHER THOUGHTS ON BEING AN ASTRONAUT

• Many people ask me if being a private pilot will help in the selection process for mission specialist astronaut. This is difficult to answer. Many mission specialist astronauts have been selected who had no flying background whatever, while some are very experienced private pilots when they apply. Being a private pilot could be one of those “tie breakers” to a selection committee. It certainly indicates you like to fly. I would say, if you want a private pilot’s license, go for it. If you don’t have the money or time or talent to be a private pilot, I wouldn’t sweat it. Just make sure the rest of your application shines.
• While there is nothing in the NASA Vacancy Announcement information to indicate a fluency in a foreign language is desirable, I can’t help but believe such fluency would be a tie-breaker with other applicants. NASA’s space program is no longer an American program. It is international in scope. The International Space Station (ISS) is being developed not only by the USA, but also by Russia, Canada, Japan, and Europe. Because of the various languages spoken, this multi-national effort complicates the process of forming crews for the ISS. So, I believe a fluency in a foreign language like Russian, French, German, Japanese, etc., would help in the application process. If you are fluent in ANY foreign language, I would make sure that NASA was aware of that fluency when you submit your application.
• Occasionally I receive mail from young men and women which read something like this, “Mr. Mullane, when I was in college I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I partied a lot and my grades were poor as a result. But now, I really want to be an astronaut. What can I do to correct my college experience?” Can everybody guess the answer to this question? I hope so. Sadly, I have to write these people and say they’ve dug a deep hole for themselves and it’s going to be difficult, if not impossible, to climb out of it. They can attempt graduate school, I tell them, and hope that good grades there will offset their earlier disappointing grades. But, most colleges probably will not accept somebody into graduate school without a solid undergraduate performance. And most people don’t have the option of going back to redo college. Or, if they do have that option, they’ll probably be too old to enter pilot training or, perhaps, too old to be competitive in an astronaut application. PLEASE….EVERYBODY…Understand this fact of life: Everything you have done in your past life and everything you will do in the future will eventually count in your lives. Make sure it counts to the good. Even if you don’t know what you want to be in life, ALWAYS do your best. Later, when you do figure out what career you want, you’ll have a good background from which to launch your dream.
• If you are pursuing the pilot astronaut position, you should be aware the military flying programs DO NOT require a science, engineering or math degree. You are only required to have a college degree. It could be in English or history or business or other liberal arts. The Navy and Air Force won’t care when you apply for pilot training. But NASA will sure care when you apply to be a pilot astronaut. So, when you are attending an Academy or ROTC program to get a commission as an officer, make sure you are simultaneously getting a degree in science, math or engineering.
• DO NOT JOIN THE MILITARY JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE AN ASTRONAUT! You should only join the military because you want to be in the military. If you also want to be an astronaut, that’s fine. But the military is unlike any other job in our society and I think you would be very unhappy if you only joined because you wanted to get the training necessary to be a pilot astronaut. The military services don’t exist to train astronauts. Their sole purpose is to fight and win the Nation’s wars. Don’t misunderstand me. I think the military is a wonderful way of life, but you need to understand, when you join, you surrender a lot of freedoms the rest of the population take for granted. For example, you are assigned to jobs and moved to various locations as the needs of the military dictate. Not YOUR needs, but the needs of the military. While you can request things like pilot training or test pilot school, there are no guarantees the military will give you those things. Instead, you might find yourself living in far away, uncomfortable places while separated from your family. You might never be given a pilot training slot or be approved for test pilot school. And you might find yourself abruptly thrown into combat situations. This fact in particular needs to be understood by anybody contemplating entering a military service. When Desert Storm occurred (our first Iraqi war), I read in the papers that some Reservists and National Guard personnel were shocked to find they were going to have to leave their families to go fight a war. They had joined a peace-time military and, apparently, didn’t envision they might actually find themselves in a shooting war. Nobody who puts on a military uniform should be shocked to get such a call to arms. That is the purpose of the military. At a moments notice, you might be called to grab a weapon or jump in a fighter or bomber or climb aboard a ship and leave your family and go off to fight a war. I suspect, right now, everybody understands this because of our on-going war against terror. But even in a truly peace-time military, there is the risk of injury and death due to accidents. Every military pilot can tell you of friends who died in training accidents. So, if you want to join the military, go for it. But, have your eyes open to the risks you will be assuming. If you also want to simultaneously pursue your astronaut dream while in the military, that’s great. But never join the military if you wouldn’t want that career by itself, because it may never make you an astronaut.While on this subject of risk, I should also mention the risks of flying the space shuttle are not insignificant. As I write this, we have lost 2 space shuttles (Challenger and Columbia) and 14 astronauts. I’m not saying this to discourage anybody from applying to be an astronaut, but just do so as an informed person as to the risks involved. In just 8 ½ minutes, the space shuttle will convert 4 million pounds of propellant into a speed of nearly 5 miles per second and an altitude of about 200 miles. In other words, a shuttle launch is a controlled explosion. It will NEVER be routine. It will always carry some significant dangers.
• Remember there are things you cannot control in your quest to be an astronaut, for example, things associated with your body. When I entered West Point my dream was to ultimately get my commission in the Air Force and become a fighter pilot. But, at graduation four years later, I was unable to pass the pilot training physical exam because my eyesight had changed. (I flew in the back seat of reconnaissance jets in my Air Force career, not as a pilot.) Through diet and exercise we can control some aspects of our health, but there are things beyond our control, for example, disease, eyesight acuity or color blindness or our height (read the vacancy announcement on those limits).
• Notice there is no age limit specified for astronaut applicants. However, most people who are selected as astronauts are in their early thirties. It’s rare to see someone over 40 selected as an astronaut. If you go straight from high school into college and then into the military (if you are trying to be a pilot astronaut), you’ll probably be okay from an age point of view when it comes time to apply to be an astronaut. However, if you graduate from high school and bum around for a few years, or only get a year or two of college and then drop out for a while, you might later regret the lost time. For most young people it’s difficult to conceive of doors closing on various careers because of age. But it’s a fact of life. Age does matter. For example, the military has restrictions on age to enter pilot training. The academies have age restrictions to enter their programs. I would strongly encourage anybody trying to be an astronaut to make every moment count. Enjoy the occasional time off, but don’t get lulled into thinking there is an infinite number of tomorrows to get the education and experience you’ll need to be competitive for an astronaut position. There aren’t.
• When I was interviewed by the NASA Astronaut Selection Panel, I was never asked any technical questions and I’ve never heard of anybody being asked anything technical. What NASA wants to know is what type of a person you are. They are looking for well rounded, good-communicating, team-oriented people to be astronauts. So, they typically ask general life questions. “What are your hobbies? What jobs have you had? Tell us about your life. What have you found most rewarding? Most challenging? What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?” If you answer, “I have no hobbies. I’ve never done anything but study. I have 3 Ph.D.’s and I’ve won the Nobel Prize in astrophysics”, you might be surprised to be rejected. Sure NASA wants very smart people, but they want those smart people to be team players, to have demonstrated an ability to work with others, to be people with varied life experiences. (Basically, NASA wants what every other employer wants.) So, I would strongly encourage young people to get involved with other activities besides academics that show an ability to interact with other people, e.g., team sports, bands, clubs, Scouts, student government, etc. Just imagine you are on an astronaut selection committee and you have 10 folders in front of you with nearly identical backgrounds in academics, age, and work experience. You will start looking for small things that might make one of these ten people stand out. Maybe you see that one person pitches for the company softball team, plays drums in the company band and has been part of a sailboat crew that sailed the Atlantic one summer. Who are you going to pick out of that pile of 10 applicants? I call these tie-breakers . You should work to accumulate some of those through your life. Not only will they make you more competitive in the astronaut application process, they will also make you a better person and a better candidate for employment anywhere.
• As you pursue a dream of being an astronaut, always keep in mind the limited number of astronauts being selected. Obviously, you can have superior credentials and still not make the cut. The odds are very long. But the odds are zero if you don’t try. So, give it your best shot, while you simultaneously maintain the attitude it’s not the end of the world and it’s not a waste of time if you don’t make it. In attaining the academic and professional background necessary to even apply to be an astronaut, you have set yourself on the road to a very successful life. Good luck!

A closing thought. Do NOT take anything I’ve said above as absolute fact! As I said in my introduction, I wrote this in 2003 during the space shuttle era. While I believe some of the advice is still relevant, major changes in the astronaut selection process, physical requirements, academic requirements, work-history requirements, etc. could have occurred in the past 14 years. Go to the NASA website for the best and most current information. I wish you all Godspeed in your dream-quests, whatever those might be.

Copyright © 2017 by Astronaut R. Mike Mullane

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Essay on “My Aim in Life – to become an astronaut”

By Sathyavathi

Essay on “My Aim in Life – to become an astronaut”

by Sathyavathi

Essay on “My Aim in Life – to become an astronaut” – No one can deny the intrigues of the night sky. The first rhymes that we learned in kindergarten were those of the twinkling stars. Even our great ancestors were bewildered by them. The cave arts denote constellations, planets, and astronomical events. We have mythological stories that portray life outside our world. The entire branch of astronomy is dependent on the stars.

• The Aura of Space
• India’s rally in the field
• Technical prowess and an essential service
• Diverse learning and tremendous commitment

  The Aura of Space 

Television channels like the Discovery Channel air various shows on space travel and research. They include the training videos of the astronauts, the tour of a space center, space vehicle mock-up facilities, and the views of space research scientists. All these inspire me to become an astronaut.

The gigantic size of the rockets, the spacesuit, decreasing gravity, traveling light-years away gives me goosebumps and spikes my curiosity levels. The desire to find if life exists somewhere else on the vast universe keeps me hooked to my dreams.   Top   India’s rally in the field

I also feel that this is the best time to become an astronaut. India has been rapidly advancing in the field of space science. We launched the first satellite into space only in 1975. But today we are one among the first four countries to put an orbiter around Mars. The other three are the United States, Russia, and the European Space Agency. The mission Mangalyaan was successful in the first attempt.

We have become the most economical and successful satellite launch pad destinations in the world. I hope we will soon be able to put up a spacecraft on the Moon and go ahead with a crewed mission too.   Top   Technical prowess and an essential service 

Did you know that satellites are not meant for space explorations alone? We watch television, follow the Google Maps, predict the weather, and download videos due to the presence of communication satellites. We also have satellites for confidential defense purposes. Thus, today we cannot imagine life without space rovers. Working in the field of astronomy is exciting and is an excellent service to humanity as well.

  Top   Diverse learning and tremendous commitment

I hope to accomplish my ambitions through sheer hard work and dedication. I also take care of my health and exercise regularly, as physical fitness is a definite requirement for getting selected in space research agencies across the world. I am also planning to learn scuba diving and the Russian language too. It is said that to be an astronaut, one must be an adventure lover, and should love to experience uncertainty. For this purpose, I would like to go on long Jungle safaris. One must also be ready to learn robotics, fly airplanes, and should have an excellent knowledge in various fields like geology, chemistry, and physics. Communication technology is indispensable for space enthusiasts.

Finally, I would like to add that every year thousands of people apply for jobs in space research centers. Aspiring astronauts should agree to the fact that they will have to spend a lot of time here on our planet Earth learning from and guiding various space missions.

I do understand that success is not a guarantee in space projects, and one must give his / her hundred percent attention to every single step. I am ready to enjoy the process and not the goal alone.   Top   Recommended Read

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Career Guidance | February 11, 2020

So you want to be an astronaut.

By Lyle Tavernier

What does it take to be a NASA astronaut, and how can set yourself on the right trajectory while you're still in school? Here's everything you need to know so you'll be ready to apply when the next opportunity rolls around.

› Read the full press release

Originally published Nov. 4, 2015:

NASA announced that on March 2, 2020, it will open applications to select its next class of astronauts! That news has gotten a lot of people very excited, including some of the best engineers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Most people don't think of JPL when they think of astronauts, but everywhere astronauts have been, JPL has sent robotic spacecraft ahead of time. That is true for Earth orbit and the Moon. But it's not just the idea of sending robots to explore new places in preparation for human visits that gets JPL employees excited. Some of these scientists and engineers want to be astronauts too!

Maybe you've seen astronauts working on the International Space Station , or heard about NASA's plans to send humans back to the Moon or maybe you've been following the ongoing  exploration of Mars and want to visit the planet for yourself one day! Whatever your inspiration has been, you know you want to become an astronaut. So how do you get there, and what can you do to make it possible?

Let's start with the basic requirements:

• Master's degree in a STEM field, or
• Two years of work toward a Ph.D. program in a related science, technology, engineering or math field;
• A completed doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree;
• Completion of a nationally recognized test pilot school program.
• Two years of related professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft.
• Pass the NASA long-duration spaceflight physical.

Not every STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degree will qualify you to be an astronaut. NASA is looking for people with a degree in engineering, biological science, physical science (like physics, chemistry or geology), computer science or mathematics. If you're in high school, middle school or even elementary school, now is a great time to explore all of these fields of study to help you better understand the ones you like most, the ones for which you might have a natural talent, and even the ones you don't find as interesting.

How do you explore these fields?

If you have the ability to choose your elective classes, take the challenging math, science and computer programming courses. This will help you to learn the fundamentals of science and math. If your school doesn't offer those classes, look online. There are many free online courses covering a wide range of math, science and programming topics.

What else can you do?

• Join a school or community math, science, engineering or robotics club. If there are none in your school or community, start one!
• Participate in science and engineering fairs. (There is a great "how to" video series to help you develop your project here .)
• Attend maker fairs and develop the skills to design solutions to a variety of problems.
• Plan to apply for an internship at JPL or NASA . You can apply for opportunities as early as your freshman year of college when you are working toward a degree in a STEM major.

These are some of the steps you can take to better prepare yourself as you enter college. They just happen to be some of the same types of things many JPL scientists and engineers did before starting their college careers that led them to a job with NASA.

Additional Resources:

• NASA Astronauts Website
• From Interns to Astronauts: Former JPL Interns Join NASA Astronaut Class
• How to Apply to be an Astronaut

TAGS: career advice , astronaut , STEM careers

Lyle Tavernier , Educational Technology Specialist, NASA-JPL Education Office

Lyle Tavernier is an educational technology specialist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. When he’s not busy working in the areas of distance learning and instructional technology, you might find him running with his dog, cooking or planning his next trip.

Essay on Astronaut

Students are often asked to write an essay on Astronaut in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Astronaut

Who is an astronaut.

An astronaut is a person trained to travel in a spacecraft. They are individuals who explore space and help us understand the universe. The word ‘astronaut’ comes from Greek words that mean ‘star’ and ‘sailor’.

Astronaut Training

Becoming an astronaut requires intense training. They learn about spacecraft systems, survival skills, and teamwork. Training also includes simulations of space missions to prepare for actual space travel.

Life in Space

In space, astronauts experience zero gravity, which affects their bodies. They also do important work like conducting experiments and repairing equipment. They communicate their findings to scientists on Earth.

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250 Words Essay on Astronaut

The concept of astronauts.

Astronauts, often hailed as the epitome of human courage and curiosity, are individuals trained to travel and work in space. Their role is not merely confined to piloting spacecraft but extends to conducting experiments and research that expand our understanding of the cosmos.

The Rigorous Training

Becoming an astronaut is not a straightforward path. It involves rigorous training and a high level of physical and mental fortitude. Candidates undergo intense physical training to acclimatize their bodies to the harsh conditions of space. Simultaneously, they are educated in various fields such as astrophysics, engineering, and even basic medical procedures to ensure their survival and productivity in space missions.

The Role of Astronauts in Space Exploration

Astronauts play a crucial role in space exploration. Their first-hand experiences and observations have led to numerous scientific discoveries. From understanding the effects of microgravity on human physiology to studying the geology of distant celestial bodies, astronauts have significantly contributed to our knowledge of the universe.

The Psychological Aspect

The psychological aspect of being an astronaut is often overlooked but is equally important. The isolation and confinement experienced during space missions can have profound psychological impacts. Hence, astronauts are trained to manage stress and maintain psychological well-being in these extreme conditions.

In conclusion, astronauts are more than just space travelers. They are scientists, explorers, and pioneers, pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and capability. Their role in space exploration is indispensable, contributing significantly to our understanding of the universe.

500 Words Essay on Astronaut

Introduction.

The term ‘astronaut’ derives from the Greek words ‘astron’, meaning ‘star’, and ‘nautes’, meaning ‘sailor’. Thus, an astronaut is essentially a star sailor, a professional specially trained to travel and work in space. The journey of an astronaut, from rigorous training to the actual space exploration, is a testament to human resilience, intelligence, and curiosity.

The Path to Becoming an Astronaut

Once selected, astronaut candidates undergo rigorous training that tests and pushes their physical and mental boundaries. They learn survival skills for emergency landings, undergo simulations of spacewalks in large swimming pools to mimic zero-gravity conditions, and even experience high and low atmospheric pressures in hyperbaric and hypobaric chambers. This training prepares them for the unpredictable and harsh conditions of space.

The Role of an Astronaut

In space, astronauts serve various roles based on their skills and the mission’s objectives. Some become pilots or commanders, responsible for spacecraft operation and mission success. Others are mission or payload specialists, who conduct experiments, operate specific onboard equipment, or perform Extra Vehicular Activities (EVAs), commonly known as spacewalks.

The Challenges and Risks

Astronauts: the harbingers of progress.

Astronauts are more than just space travelers. They are scientists, researchers, and pioneers on the frontier of human knowledge and capabilities. Their work in space has led to numerous technological advancements and scientific discoveries. Moreover, they symbolize unity, as international space missions often involve astronauts from different countries, transcending geopolitical boundaries.

The life of an astronaut encapsulates the human spirit’s audacity and our relentless pursuit of knowledge. Despite the risks and challenges, astronauts venture into the unknown, pushing the boundaries of human capabilities and understanding. They embody the curiosity that has been a driving force for progress throughout human history. As we look to the future, astronauts will undoubtedly continue to play a crucial role in our exploration of the cosmos.

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My Astronaut Dream: From Study Abroad to SpaceX

Today I want to share how I became a rocket scientist, from my dreams in middle school to my eventual role at SpaceX. I want to share snippets of my life with you all, including my college experience in engineering and studying abroad .

My path to becoming an astronaut started in 8th grade when my science class made 5-minute shorts of scientists around Boulder, Colorado (my hometown). One day I sat in for a friend on an interview with former astronaut Joseph R. Tanner, who told us that the most important thing you can bring to space is a spoon.

Yes, you read that right, a spoon. Well to me, something as ordinary as a spoon was no longer boring, and right then and there I decided to become an astronaut. Every decision from then on was with the mindset that eventually I would be floating around in space on the ISS and eventually walking on Mars.

Throughout high school, I focused on science (which had never been a favorite subject) and found a passion in aerospace. I attended the Advanced Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama, at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, where I started training to become an astronaut.

When I went off to college I started at Colorado State University (CSU) mostly because the best aerospace school I got into was University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder) but that was my hometown and I wanted to get away for a little while (don’t ever feel bad about striking out on your own for a bit). I decided to study Mechanical Engineering, since it’s a pretty basic introduction into engineering and provides a good basis for any job including those in aerospace. At the end of my freshman year I realized how much I really wanted to study rockets, so I added a double major: engineering science with a concentration in space science.

By the spring of my second year, I realized I needed a break from school. Growing up, I’d heard stories of my parents' adventures abroad, including my father's experience in Madrid, Spain. I had always wanted to visit, and this was my chance! I decided within a week to study abroad for the following year. Luckily, I still had a lot of my general courses to take, so I figured I could remain on track with my engineering degree (credit-wise) but still have a wonderful semester abroad.

Summer 2016 I arrived in Granada, Spain , as part of the CEA Study Abroad program at CSU. My time in Spain allowed me to experience a world of art, culture, and history that I would have otherwise overlooked in my engineering field. I was able to take courses in art history, European politics, and traditional Spanish music. I was opened up to a world of friends, experiences, and travel that I will forever cherish. A month before I was supposed to leave Granada, I walked into the office and promptly stated I wanted to stay. Within a week I was registered to stay for another semester.

By this point, I had decided to switch universities once I returned to the States. I decided that my passion for aerospace outweighed my need to be further away from my hometown, so I switched back to CU-Boulder studying aerospace engineering. Switching universities allowed me to take an online engineering (computer science) course while continuing to study abroad, providing me with the continued cultural experiences but also allowing me to continue pursuing my aerospace dreams.

Upon returning to the States, I learned that not all of my credits had been transferred, so I retook a year of school and eventually graduated this year in May 2020 with my bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. Throughout the last two years in school, I worked in a machine shop, as a flight crew member for a company that did upper atmospheric research with custom drones (namely storm chasing), and I even had an internship with Virgin Galactic.

Throughout the last year at CU-Boulder, I applied to more than 150 jobs, had numerous phone and technical interviews, and two panel interviews before accepting a role at SpaceX. Now I’m a manufacturing engineer for propulsion subassemblies on the Merlin rocket engine for the Falcon rockets. Basically, this means I work with my technicians to ensure the parts we deliver to upper level assemblies are the best quality, have no defects, and won’t cause any anomalies down the line at launch.

The main point of me telling you all this is that there are many ways to achieve your eventual goals, whether that be becoming an elementary school teacher, an actress, or a rocket scientist. My one piece of advice is to make sure you enjoy your life even if it doesn’t always align with all your goals. For me, studying abroad in Spain was one of the best decisions, but I’m still on track to become an astronaut someday and I’m currently a rocket scientist!

Find your dream study abroad program and apply today at CEAstudyabroad.com !

This blog was originally published on the CEA Study Abroad blog here .

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Become an astronaut.

NASA astronauts have been traveling to space for more than six decades and living there continuously since 2000. Now, NASA’s Artemis program is preparing to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon. The Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will carry humans farther into space than they have gone before—for missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars.

Quick Facts

The term “astronaut” derives from the Greek words meaning “star sailor.”

More than 12,000 people applied to be an astronaut between March 2 and March 31, 2020. 

NASA accepts applications for the Astronaut Candidate Program on an as-needed basis. In recent years, new astronaut candidates have been selected approximately every four years.

Requirements to Become an Astronaut

Astronaut requirements have changed with NASA’s goals and missions. Today, to be considered for an astronaut position, applicants must meet the following qualifications:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Have a master’s degree* in a STEM field, including engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics, from an accredited institution.
• Have a minimum of three years of related professional experience obtained after degree completion (or 1,000 Pilot-in-Command hours with at least 850 of those hours in high performance jet aircraft for pilots) For medical doctors, time in residency can count towards experience and must be completed by June 2025.
• Be able to successfully complete the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical.

*The master’s degree requirement can also be met by:

• Two years of work towards a doctoral program in a related science, technology, engineering, or math field.
• Completed Doctor of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, or related medical degree
• Completion (or current enrollment that will result in completion by June 2025) of a nationally recognized test pilot school program.

Astronaut candidates must also have skills in leadership, teamwork and communications.

Artemis Generation astronauts will explore and conduct experiments where humans have never been: the lunar South Pole.

NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board reviews the applications and assesses each candidate’s qualifications. The board then invites a small group of the most highly qualified candidates for interviews at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Of those interviewed, about half are invited back for second interviews. From that group, NASA’s new astronaut candidates are selected. They report for training at Johnson and spend the next two years learning basic astronaut skills like spacewalking, operating the space station, flying T-38 jet planes and controlling a robotic arm.

With NASA’s plans for the future of exploration, new astronauts will fly farther into space than ever before on lunar missions and may be the first humans to fly on to Mars.

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Future Exploration

As NASA continues to expand human exploration in our solar system, we will need more than the currently active astronauts to crew spacecraft bound for deep-space destinations.

NASA’s astronauts currently work as scientists on the International Space Station—a laboratory that orbits Earth approximately 240 miles above the planet’s surface. Astronauts on the station conduct scientific experiments such as innovative cancer research and research on the human body and living in space.

Soon the agency will be expanding its reach to conduct scientific investigations in lunar orbit aboard the Gateway space station, and on the surface of the Moon, as part of the Artemis program. Future astronauts could serve on Artemis missions or even journey to Mars.

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Expeditions are journeys made by people who share a definite purpose and specific experiences.

To make their expeditions successful, NASA works with astronaut crews on skills that prepare them to live and work together during space missions. Some of these same skills are useful in everyday life here on Earth. 4-H is a positive youth development program that prepares youth for life and work. Together, NASA and 4-H are creating the following series of activities designed to take you through various educational expeditions that will help you learn and practice skills that you can apply in almost every aspect of life.

Self Care/Team Care: Preparing for the Voyage

Before you can contribute to a team, you must first be able to take responsibility for yourself.

This ability includes being mentally, physically and emotionally ready to go on the voyage. Everyone has the occasional difficult day, so knowing how to support your team members is also important. This section will strengthen your ability to care for yourself and your team.

Cultural Competency: Embarking on Pilgrimages

Pilgrimages are searches that help people understand their personal beliefs and recognize how and why they have those beliefs.

The activities in this section take you beyond your own beliefs and teach you how to understand, appreciate and value the beliefs of others. Only in creating paths that allow the team to work together can you move forward in your expeditions.

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Lots of people like to be the leader, but leaders need a team to follow them.

Different quests require different skills, which means different types of leaders are needed throughout an expedition. Understanding when to lead and when to follow, and the importance of both roles, will be explored in this section

Expeditionary Skills for Life: Launching Into Orbit

To launch your expedition into orbit, everyone on the team needs to do their part.

That begins with knowing what each person’s part is, making sure team members are ready to perform their part and that they get it done, and dealing with any unexpected challenges that develop along the way. Launching an expedition, like teamwork, takes practice and patience.

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Last month, an independent film titled “I Want to Be an Astronaut” about a driven high school robotics student and his dream to become an astronaut premiered aboard the International Space Station 286 miles above the Earth.

The film’s concept was originally hatched in 2011 when its creator, David Ruck, caught astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on “Real Time with Bill Maher” late one night. Maher’s panel was comparing cuts in NASA’s budget to the $700 billion used to bail out Wall Street in 2008.

Determined to shine a light on the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs, Ruck set out to make a film for his master’s thesis about high school robotics programs.

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Ruck’s film examines the state of America’s space program and captures the passion for human space travel as well as the somber tone that followed the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011.

According to various sources, NASA issued layoff notices to about 3,200 contractors after the shuttle Atlantis and its crew of four astronauts landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011, the final mission after a 30-year career.

But the film really took shape when Ruck met Blair Mason, then a 17-year-old high school senior keenly interested in space travel.

Mason, who is now 19, had wanted to be an astronaut since he was 3 years old. The film follows him as he leads his FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics team in a competition and looks to the U.S. Naval Academy for college.

The NASA Robotics Alliance Project (RAP) has been supporting participation in FIRST Robotics Competitions by providing grants to high school teams as well as sponsoring FIRST regional competitions.

Blair set his sights on the Naval Academy because it has graduated more astronauts than any other U.S. institution. Now a midshipmen earning academic honors, Blair is majoring in aerospace engineering and computer science with the hope of attending flight school.

Blair, who is not permitted by the Naval Academy to speak to the media, acknowledges in the movie that becoming an astronaut is, “a long and complicated process, and I don’t know what I’m going to encounter along the way, but I don’t think I’ll ever lose that dream.”

John Grunsfeld, astronaut and chief of NASA’s Science Directorate, who is shown in the film as a mentor to Mason’s FIRST Robotics team, said these programs are similar in many ways to how NASA designed, built and tested the NASA Mars Curiosity rover, which is currently exploring the Red Planet.

“NASA always looks forward to seeing how students’ innovative solutions are developed and seeing how their creativity might help inspire development of future spacecraft systems,” Grunsfeld said.

Michael Mason, Blair’s brother who is now a junior in high school, also caught the robotics bug.

“I joined FIRST Robotics for (several) reasons: I have always loved to build things and see them work, and I saw how happy it made my brother and how much it challenged him,” he said. “The robotics team gave me a great idea of what engineering is and has made me want to pursue it as a career.”

While the shuttle program has been retired, the United States is still involved in space exploration with various robotic missions, private enterprise and international efforts.

According to NASA.gov , “NASA is committed to human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit and the continued development of its next generation spacecraft – Orion.

The Orion spacecraft will take astronauts beyond low Earth orbit (LEO) to deep space. It will provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe reentry from deep space. The spacecraft will launch on Exploration Flight Test-1, an uncrewed mission planned for 2014.”

So what does this mean for kids who dream of traveling in space?

Dan Hendrickson, director of Space Systems at Aerospace Industries Association (an association that represents aerospace and defense manufacturers) said there are plenty of opportunities.

“I’m excited for NASA’s future and I’m looking forward to the agency’s completion of numerous programs that will be brought online in just a few short years,” he said. “Between the Commercial Crew program, the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, and the Space Launch System, more vehicles are being built for human spaceflight right now (2014) than at any other point in our history, if (the nation) maintains steady support for these programs.”

Ruck and his team passionately hope the film will “draw attention to the importance of the STEM education as it relates to our nation’s ability to remain on the cutting edge of science and technology to create jobs of the future.” Ruck personally believes, “We need a vibrant space program to provide the context needed for young people to pursue these challenging and exciting career fields.”

According to NASA.gov and Whitehouse.gov, the 2014 NASA budget is $17.7 billion dollars, the same as 2013 and a .3% decrease from 2012. That translates to a $50 million cut from 2012 funding.

Ruck’s film is slated to be screened in May at the International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles that will host speakers Buzz Aldrin – the Apollo astronaut who was the second man on the moon, Elon Musk, CEO of Space X, and Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of Space X. The film will also be presented at the American Astronautical Society’s 60th Anniversary celebration on July 16 at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington.

Most recently, Ruck and his film were invited to the Humans to Mars Summit 2014 at George Washington University. The film is scheduled to open discussions on how humanity can land on Mars by the 2030s.

As Ruck said in a recent interview, “Our goal with this film is to remind everyone what NASA means to the world, reignite those dreams again, and explore space together.”

READ: Scientists create Mars on Earth

Show all

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Home / Essay Samples / Science / Astronauts / Features And Challenges Of An Astronaut’s Job

Features And Challenges Of An Astronaut’s Job

• Category: Science , Life
• Topic: Astronauts , Job , Space Exploration

Pages: 3 (1543 words)

Views: 1866

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Introduction

• Cycle Ergometer: Like a bicycle, simply just pedaling.
• Treadmill: Walking and jogging, just like on Earth.
• Resistance Exercise Device (RED): Almost like weight-lifting machines, astronauts pull and twist stretchy rubber-band-like cords attached to pulleys. Furthermore, in order to become an astronaut, students who study astronomy need to have a bachelor’s degree in either engineering, science, or math; three years of related professional experience; and the ability to pass the NASA astronaut physical examination.
• Be free from any disease.
• Be free from any dependency on drugs, alcohol, or tobacco.
• Have a normal range of motion and functionality in all joints.
• Have visual acuity in both eyes of 100%.
• Be free from any psychiatric disorders.
• Aerospace Engineers: Develop aircrafts and spacecrafts.
• Computer Engineers: Develop computer hardware and software.
• Material Engineers: Design and discover new materials.
• Mechanical Engineers: Design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems.
• Robotics Engineers: Design, manufacture, and operate with robots.
• Instrumentation Engineers: Indicate, measure, and record physical quantities.
• Telecommunications Engineers: Support and enhance telecommunication systems.
• Cardiac Problems.
• Cognitive Problems.
• Hearing Loss.
• Kidney Stones.
• Radiation Hazards.
• Vision Loss.

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