[ we are the future ]
[ we are the future ]
Selection
Man’s scope of space exploration has broadened since the first U.S
manned space flight in 1961. In 1959, NASA asked the U.S. military
services to list their members who met specific qualifications. NASA
required jet aircraft flight experience and engineering training.
Height could be no more than 5 feet 11 inches because of the limited
cabin space available in the Mercury space capsule. From there NASA
choose seven men to be come the first astronauts.
Original Mercury 7 Astronauts
Selection
So You Want To Be An Astronaut
When the Space program began in 1959 there were only seven people. They
all were Caucasian males who were (or had been) in the armed forces.
Selection
Today shuttle crews are comprised of Americans from every race, creed,
color, and gender.
Selection
The Odds
NASA chooses its astronauts from an
increasingly diverse pool of applicants that,
“looks like America".
The most exciting day for anyone who wants
to travel into space is the day he or she is
selected to be an astronaut candidate. Then
the real work begins!
Selection
College
In high school, it is particularly important for the student to earn the best
possible grades for standardized test scores (SAT and/or ACT). It is then
time to make some decisions as to the specific direction of study, such as,
engineering, biological or physical science, or mathematics. The "minimum
degree requirement" for an astronaut is a bachelor's from an accredited
institution. Three years of related increasingly responsible professional
experience must follow that degree. Most astronauts to date, however,
continued with career and/or education to the post-graduate levels and were
able to substitute education for all or part of their work experience
requirement. Admittedly though, being selected could be a couple years off
at the very least. In the mean time you'll need to eat and pay the rent.
Besides, more experience can only bode well for the applicant in the longterm. Many schools offer degrees in technical fields, math, and science.
Check with a guidance/college counselor or a good college directory.
Whatever school you do attend--one aspect remains the
same--do the very best that you possibly can.
Selection
Internships/Co-ops
During university study, as soon as students arrive
on campus they should go to the co-operative and
recruitment offices to explore the possibilities of an
internship or work/study position to gain vital
experience necessary to be marketable. Students
who did not explore career possibilities until their
senior year could miss this opportunity. This will
also help you to understand what the particular
companies are looking for in terms of hiring policies
and experience levels. These students are often
offered jobs either when their internship is
completed or upon graduation.
Selection
Tips to Succeed
To communicate--both written and verbally is also vital to working in the
Space program. To know history is important to success--not only as an
astronaut but as a citizen. It is suggested that every American should be--at
the very least--bilingual.
Space is a multinational and multicultural-cultural operation.
Selection
Selection Criteria
The ASB interviews each person and assigns them a rating based on:
experience and potential, motivation, ability to function as a member of a
team, communicative abilities, and adaptability. If you are not a team player,
you do not have a position with NASA. A good attitude and open mind will
help you succeed.
Training and Preparation
Astronaut training is highly specialized and
requires the efforts of literally hundreds of
persons and numerous facilities. As manned
space flight programs have become more
sophisticated over the years so too has the
complex and length training process needed
to meet the demands of operating the Space
Shuttle. Initial training for new candidates
consists of a series of short courses in aircraft
safety, including instruction in ejection,
parachute and survival to prepare them in
the event their aircraft is disabled and they
have to eject or make an emergency landing.
Pilots and mission specialist astronauts train
in high performance T-38 jet aircraft.
Training and Preparation
STS 105 Shuttle Mission
Astronaut Patrick G. Forrester, mission
specialist, photographed in a T-38
trainer jet, prepares for a flight at
Ellington Field near Johnson Space
Center.
Training and Preparation
In the formal academic areas, the novice
astronauts are given a full range of basic
science and technical courses, including
mathematics, Earth resources, meteorology,
guidance and navigation, astronomy, physics
and computer sciences. Basic knowledge of
the Shuttle system, including payloads, is
obtained through lectures, briefings, text
books and flight operations manuals.
Mockups of the orbiter flight and mid-decks,
as well as the mid-body, including a full-scale
payload bay, train future crew members in
orbiter habitability, routine housekeeping and
maintenance, waste management and
stowage, television operations and
extravehicular activities.
Training and Preparation
STS 115 Shuttle Mission
The STS-115 crewmembers are
briefed by United Space Alliance
(USA) crew trainer Bob Behrendsen
during a classroom session of water
survival training at the Johnson
Space Center (JSC).
Training and Preparation
Aircraft weightless training is conducted in a
modified KC- 135 four-engine jet transport.
Flying a parabolic course, the aircraft is able
to create up to 30 seconds of weightlessness
when flying a parabolic maneuver. During this
rather brief period of time, astronauts can
practice eating and drinking as well as use
various kinds of Shuttle-type equipment.
Training sessions in the KC-135 normally last
from 1 to 2 hours, providing an exciting
prelude to the sustained weightless
experience of space flight.
Training and Preparation
EVA – Extravehicular Activity
As much fun as it is just to go to space, being able to go outside your
spacecraft is even more exciting. Before you can float out the door,
you must spend many hours learning how to do a spacewalk.
Training and Preparation
EVA – Extravehicular Activity
First, you must learn how to put on your 280 pound spacesuit. It will
provide you with the air you need to breathe, and keep your body at a
comfortable temperature.
Training and Preparation
EVA – Extravehicular Activity
Because the suit is so large, you must practice moving around while wearing
it and learn how to use tools with bulky gloves on your hands.You can practice
doing spacewalks in large pools. Astronauts usually spend seven hours
training underwater for every hour they will spend spacewalking during a
mission.
Training and Preparation
EVA – Extravehicular Activity
The NBL, as it’s called, is a huge pool filled with 22.7 million liters of water.
In fact, it’s the world’s largest indoor pool.Being underwater is similar to
being in space, but not quite the same. You’re not truly weightless like in
space, but are neutrally buoyant. That means an object doesn’t want to float
to the surface or sink to the bottom.
Training and Preparation
The Sonny Carter Training Facility provides
controlled neutral buoyancy operations to
simulate the zero-g or weightless condition
that is experienced by spacecraft and crew
during space flight. It is an essential tool for
the design, testing and development of the
International Space Station and future NASA
programs. For the astronaut, the facility
provides important pre-flight training for
extravehicular activities (EVA) and with the
dynamics of body motion under weightless
conditions.
Training and Preparation
Photography
Training and Preparation
Food Selection
A nutritious meal is important on
a mission, just as it is here on
Earth. Crews select the food they
like, and have it approved by a
nutritionist.
Training and Preparation
Survival
Many emergency scenarios are practiced.
Training and Preparation
Remote Manipulator System
Astronaut Scott Altman, STS-106 simulates control of the RMS for the Space
Shuttle Atlantis.
Training and Preparation
Weight Training
Expedition One commander, Bill
Shepherd, lifts dumbbells during
a workout in a gymnasium at
the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training
Facility in Russia.
Training and Preparation
Medical
Training with an mannequin representing a subject in need of emergency
care.
Training and Preparation
Virtual Reality
Astronaut John B. Herrington, STS-113
mission specialist, uses virtual reality
hardware in the Space Vehicle Mockup
Facility.
Training and Preparation
Science Experiments
Learning how to do your science
experiments is an important part
of training. Teams of experts
and hundreds of hours are
required to ensure every
crewmember has the knowledge
and skills needed to perform
their assigned experiments. The
researchers on Earth are
depending on them.
Training and Preparation
Assignment
After you finish your initial
training period as an
astronaut candidate, you
will be given a technical
assignment. In that job,
you will support astronauts
who are already in space
and those who are training
to go. There you will wait,
sometimes for years, for
the next most exciting day
of your life… the day you
are assigned to a space
flight.
Training and Preparation
Travel
Crewmembers may travel
around the world training
for a mission, long before
they begin orbiting the
earth.
Training and Preparation
The Facts
Your 18 months of training will
include approximately 300 hours
learning about the systems ,300
hours learning to do spacewalks,
60 hours of medical training, 150
hours of science experiments,
150 hours of language training,
and 150 hours of robot arm
training.
Types of Astronauts
Space Shuttle Crew Positions
Commander/Pilot Astronauts:
Pilot astronauts serve as both space shuttle commanders and pilots. During
flight, the commander has onboard responsibility for the vehicle, crew,
mission success, and safety of flight. The pilot assists the commander in
controlling and operating the vehicle and may assist in the deployment and
retrieval of satellites using the remote manipulator system (RMS), referred to
as the robot arm or mechanical arm.
Types of Astronauts
Space Shuttle Crew Positions
STS 111 Shuttle Mission
Astronaut Paul S. Lockhart,
pilot, looks over a checklist
while performing a task at
the commander's station
on the forward flight deck
of the Space Shuttle
Endeavour.
Types of Astronauts
Space Shuttle Crew Positions
Mission Specialist Astronauts:
Mission specialist astronauts have overall
responsibility for coordinating shuttle operations in
the following areas: Shuttle systems, crew activity
planning, consumables usage, and
experiment/payload operations. Mission specialists
are trained in the details of the Orbiter 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.
Types of Astronauts
Space Shuttle Crew Positions
STS 110 Shuttle Mission
Astronaut Rex J. Walheim, STS-110 mission
specialist, anchored to the mobile foot restraint at
the end of the International Space Station’s (ISS)
Canadarm2, works in tandem with astronaut
Steven L. Smith (out of frame), mission specialist,
during the first scheduled session of
extravehicular activity (EVA).
Types of Astronauts
Space Shuttle Crew Positions
Payload Specialist Astronauts:
Payload specialists are persons other than NASA astronauts (including
foreign nationals) 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. 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.
Types of Astronauts
Space Shuttle Crew Positions
STS 109 Shuttle Mission
Astronaut John M. Grunsfeld, payload
commander, peers into the crew cabin
of the Space Shuttle Columbia on
March 4, 2002. Grunsfeld's helmet
visor, with the sunshield now in place,
displays mirrored images of the
Earth's hemisphere and the Space
Shuttle Columbia's aft cabin.
FAQ
• What is the best college or university to attend?
NASA cannot recommend one college or university over another, or specify which
schools might best prepare an individual for the Astronaut Candidate Program.
However, please remember that the college or university you attend must be an
accredited institution.
• How much will I make as an astronaut?
Salaries for civilian Astronaut Candidates are based upon the Federal Government's
General Schedule pay scale for grades GS-11 through GS-13. The grade is
determined in accordance with each individual's academic achievements and
experience. Currently a GS-11 starts at 51,799 per year and a GS-13 can earn up to
95,977 per year.
• Will NASA send a child into space?
While NASA appreciates the enthusiasm young people have shown in wanting to
take part in the Space Program, there are no plans at this time to send children into
space. Maybe one day this will be possible, but it will most likely be far in the future
when space travel becomes an everyday occurrence. NASA has many programs
that allow children to become involved with NASA and learn more
about space.
FAQ
• What is the best degree field to choose?
Among the academic fields considered qualifying for Astronaut Candidate positions,
we would not recommend one over another or specify which might be more
appropriate in the future. You should choose a field of study that is of interest to you;
this will ensure that, whatever course your career takes, you will be prepared to do
something that is personally satisfying.
• Are there age restrictions?
There are no age restrictions for the program. Astronaut candidates selected in the
past have ranged between the ages of 26 and 46, with the average age being 35.
• Is flying experience necessary?
Although flying experience is only a requirement for the Pilot Astronaut Candidate, it
is also beneficial for the Mission Specialist Astronaut Candidate. The Pilots selected
have had military pilot training. The Mission Specialists with flying experience have
attained it either in the military or through private lessons.
A View of Earth
A View of Earth
City Lights of the Northeastern
Seaboard of the U.S. were captured
with a 35mm camera by one of the
STS-98 astronauts aboard the Space
Shuttle Atlantis. The nighttime scene
shows the bright lights of several major
cities that span a distance from
Connecticut (left middle) to states
south of Virginia (right middle).
A View of Earth
The STS-113 crewmembers
used a 35mm still camera to
record this image of Mt. Etna
Volcano erupting on the
island of Sicily. The oblique,
south-looking view shows Mt.
Etna's dark ash plume rising
above the general altitude of
storm clouds over the
Mediterranean Sea at sunset
on Dec. 14, 2002.
A View of Earth
The STS-113 crewmembers
used a 35mm still camera to
record this image of a mid
latitude storm system. The
counter-clockwise swirl
shows that this is a northern
hemisphere storm. The
storm was northeast of the
Mediterranean Sea, covering
the Balkans and western
Turkey.
A View of Earth
Spiral Eddies off the East Coast
Spiral eddies spun off the inner
edge of the Gulf Stream are
revealed by sunlight reflecting off
a slick formed by a very thin oily
film, produced by marine
organisms. Thicker oil slicks
produced by petroleum products
do not spread evenly across the
sea surface but clump up in
patches.
A View of Earth
Malaspina Glacier, on the
southeastern coast of
Alaska shows how the ice
spreads out on the
unconfined flats, these
black stripes are pulled
sideways into zigzags.
During the ice ages, many
glaciers grew so large they
flowed down the entire
length of the valleys,
becoming vast sheets of ice
on the continental plains below.
A View of Earth
This image shows the
United States of
America at night. Notice
the different populated
areas and how they are
lit.
Credits
Andrew Gaskill
Wilson Central High School Earth Crew
Andrew is a senior at Wilson Central High
School and belongs to the Wilson Central
Wildcat Band as a student conductor,
National Honor Society and Earth Crew. His
future plans include going to Middle
Tennessee State University to major in
Aerospace Engineering.