[ 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

[ 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

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.

So You Want To Be An Astronaut

Selection Today shuttle crews are comprised of Americans from every race, creed,

color, and gender.

Selection

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!

The Odds

Selection

CollegeIn 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 long-term. 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 SucceedTo 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 CriteriaThe 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.


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.


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.



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).


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.

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.

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.



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.



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.

Photography


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.

Food Selection


Many emergency scenarios are practiced.

SurvivalTraining and Preparation


Astronaut Scott Altman, STS-106 simulates control of the RMS for the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Remote Manipulator System


Expedition One commander, Bill Shepherd, lifts dumbbells during a workout in a gymnasium at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Facility in Russia.

Weight Training


Training with an mannequin representing a subject in need of emergency care.

Medical

Virtual Reality


Astronaut John B. Herrington, STS-113 mission specialist, uses virtual reality hardware in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility.

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.

Science Experiments


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.

Assignment



Crewmembers may travel around the world training for a mission, long before they begin orbiting the earth.

Travel


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.

The Facts

Types of AstronautsSpace 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.



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.


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.



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).


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.



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 EarthMalaspina 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.

CreditsAndrew 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.

Documents

[ 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