All about Astronauts
By: Emily Smith
Astronauts Requirements
• Each crew of each launched spacecraft is made
up of astronauts or cosmonauts, they are drawn
from the various categories. The crew
assignments and duties of commander, pilot,
mission specialist, or payload specialist are drawn
from the NASA professional career astronauts.
Mission Applicants for the Astronaut Candidate
Program must be citizens of the United States.
Pilot Astronauts
• Pilot astronauts serve as both Space Shuttle and International Space
Station commanders and pilots
• These are the basics requirements for Pilot astronauts:
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.
Mission Specialists
• Mission specialist astronauts work with the commander and the
pilot and have the overall responsibility for coordinating operations
in the these following areas: systems, crew activity planning,
consumables usage, and experiment/payload operations. Mission
specialists are trained in the details of the onboard systems, as well
as the operational characteristics, mission requirements/
objectives, and supporting equipment/systems for each of the
experiments conducted on their assigned missions. Mission
specialists perform extravehicular activities (EVAs), or space walks,
operate the remote manipulator system, and are responsible for
payloads and specific experiment operations.
Mission Specialists Requirements
• 1. Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in engineering,
biological science, physical science, or mathematics. Degree must
be followed by at least three years of related, progressively
responsible, professional experience. An advanced degree is
desirable and may be substituted for part or all of the experience
requirement Quality of academic preparation is important.
2. Ability to pass a NASA space physical, which is similar to a
military or civilian flight physical and includes the following specific
standards: Distance visual acuity: 20/200 or better uncorrected,
correctable to 20/20, each eye.
• Blood pressure: 140/90 measured in a sitting position.
• 3. Height between 58.5 and 76 inches.
Payload Specialists
• Payload specialists are persons other than NASA who have specialized
onboard duties; they may be added to shuttle crews if activities that have
unique requirements are involved and more than the minimum crew size
of five is needed.
First consideration for additional crew members is given to qualified NASA
mission specialists. When payload specialists are required they are
nominated by NASA, the foreign sponsor, or the designated payload
sponsor. In the case of NASA or NASA-related payloads, the nominations
are based on the recommendations of the appropriate Investigator
Working Group (IWG).
Although payload specialists are not part of the Astronaut Candidate
Program, they must have the appropriate education and training related
to the payload or experiment. All applicants must meet certain physical
requirements and must pass NASA space physical examinations with
varying standards depending on classification.
Pilot Astronauts Picture
• The seven STS-121 astronauts take a break from training to
pose for the crew portrait. From the left are astronauts
Stephanie Wilson, Michael Fossum, both mission
specialists; Steven Lindsey, commander; Piers Sellers,
mission specialist; Mark Kelly, pilot; European Space Agency
astronaut Thomas Reiter of Germany; and Lisa Nowak, both
mission specialists
Mission Specialists Picture
• Image above: (From left) Mission Specialist Nicholas
Patrick, Pilot Terry Virts, Mission Specialists Robert Behnken
and Kathryn Hire, Commander George Zamka and Mission
Specialist Stephen Robinson. Image credit: NASA
Payload Astronauts Picture
• Five NASA astronauts and two scientists serving as payload specialists
have been named to fly aboard Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, for
NASA's STS-40 mission. Astronaut Bryan D. O'Connor (rear left) is the
mission commander, and Sidney M. Gutierrez (rear right) is the pilot.
Others are (front, left to right) Payload Specialist F. Drew Gaffney, Payload
Specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford, Mission Specialist (MS) M. Rhea Seddon,
MS James P. Bagian, and MS Tamara E. Jernigan (rear center).