Dilvir Dhaliwal
Pilot astronauts serve as both Space Shuttle and
International Space Station commanders and
pilots. During flight, the commander has
responsibility for the vehicle, crew, mission
success and safety of flight. The pilot assists the
commander in controlling and operating the
vehicle. As well as the pilot may assist in the
deployment and retrieval of satellites utilizing the
remote manipulator system, in extravehicular
activities, and in other payload operations.
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The education needed to become a pilot or commander
astronaut includes:
1. Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in engineering,
biological science, physical science, or mathematics. An
advanced degree is desirable. Quality of academic preparation
is important.
2. At least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Flight
test experience is highly desirable.
3. Ability to pass a NASA space physical which is similar to a
military or civilian flight physical and includes the following specific
standards:
Distant visual acuity: 20/100 or better uncorrected,
correctable to 20/20 each eye.
Blood pressure: 140/90 measured in a sitting position.
Height between 62 and 75 inches.
Maintain an acute level of physical fitness
 Consider training with the military
 Make sure you meet all physical and educational criteria
 Plan to spend two years in NASA's intensive training program
 Only a select few are actually able to become and astronaut,
so completing the long, arduous training to become an
astronaut may not even guarantee that you earn the position
you seek, so it is important to have a backup career plan
There are no university representatives that come to schools and
tell students about the perquisites for “astronaut school,” this is
because there are none. The astronaut field is very limited to the
people they accept for the job and it involves vigorous training. This
job is not advertised much and most people do not know the level
of difficulty and the extremely high expectations from NASA.
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Salaries for civilian Astronaut Candidates are
based on the Federal Government's General
Schedule pay scale for grades GS-12 through GS13. Each person's grade is determined according
to his/her academic achievements and
experience.
Currently, a GS-12 starts at $65,140 per year and a
GS-13 can earn up to $100,701 per year.
Astronauts receive excellent benefits, including
medical coverage, paid vacation, tuition
reimbursement, pension savings account, and
potentially even more.
The astronaut field is a very competitive and
difficult one to be hired into but once
you’re in the field there are is a great
chance of career advancement and
stability.
 The best way to get hired initially is to show
great promise in a related field
 Once astronauts are selected to work as
part of a crew, that experience becomes
quite valuable in getting hired and selected
for further missions with increased
responsibility.
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Due to wars the reliability and advancement
of electronic communication systems and
computerised equipment is because of space
research.
 The first integrated circuits flew to the moon
on Apollo and communication with the
Voyager probes from Neptune required
excellent radio and computer technology to
decode such tiny signals lost in the mush. The
computer modem and mobile phone
communications are a direct descendent.
 Space research as well as exploration is all
made possible by technology. As technology
grows so does our knowledge of the universe.
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By learning more about space research we also expand our
knowledge in other fields such as propulsion, mechanics and
energy (to name a few). Expanding our knowledge of these
things results in easier/better/more useful developments here
on this planet.
We learn more about the exact sciences (. chemistry, physics,
biology). Studying the contents of space gives us something
to compare ourselves with and allows us to draw conclusions
on a universal level. For instance, if we find life elsewhere and
it has DNA, we can theorize that DNA is an absolutely
necessary component of life.
Space research creates thousands of jobs
It costs billions of dollars every year to fund the projects of
space science, but it's comparatively small compared to the
U.S. budget. In 2005, the NASA budget was something like $13
billion. This years defense budget was somewhere around
$513 billion.
Space shuttle fuel consumed in a launch:
3.5 million pounds
 Gasoline consumed in one day in the US:
2,500 million pounds
 Meaning that one space shuttle launch is
equivalent to about two minutes
of gasoline consumption in the United
States.
 We will eventually, after we're through with
Earth need to leave this planet in search of
"greener pastures." We have to study space
to develop the technology to do so.
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10: Lightweight
If you put Saturn In water it would float
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9. Constantly Moving
We are moving through space at the rate of
530km a second
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8. Farewell old friend!
The moon is drifting away from Earth by 3.8
cm every year.
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7. Ancient Light
The light hitting the earth right now is 30
thousand years old.
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6. Solar Diet
The Sun loses up to a billion kilograms a second
due to solar winds
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5. The Big Dipper is not a constellation
The Big Dipper is not a constellation, it is an
asterism
4. George’s Star
Uranus was originally called George’s Star
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3. Extra Moons
Earth has at least 4 moons
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2. Sunspot Music
Sunspot activity may be the primary reason for
the beautiful sound of Stradivarius violins
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1. Cold Welding
If two pieces of metal touch in space, they
become permanently stuck together
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