How To Become an Astronaut

Here's an e-mail I sent to a young high school student with all sorts of personal opinions expressed. These are MY opinions, and I expect to be flamed on some of them. Ozzie From ozzie@spaceyideas.com Tue Oct 29 18:22:13 1996 Date: Tue, 29 Oct 1996 18:19:56 -0500 (EST) From: Ozzie N4SCY <ozzie@spaceyideas.com> Reply-To: Ozzie N4SCY <n4scy@amsat.org > To: KMerkel175@ Subject: How to become an Astronaut - OPINIONS On 1996 October 18, KMerkel175@ wrote: > The thing i want to know is: > How can i become an Astronaut.It's been my dream since i was a child, > and i want to know what i must do when i want to become an > Astronaut.Please send me your answer. > Thanx > Meik Dittrich >

> How can I become an Astronaut? > Any adult man or woman in excellent physical condition who > meets the basic qualifications can be selected to enter > astronaut training. > > For mission specialists and pilot astronauts, the minimum > requirements include a bachelor's degree in engineering, > science or mathematics from an accredited institution. Three > years of related experience must follow the degree, and an > advanced degree is desirable. Pilot astronauts must have at > least 1,000 hours of experience in jet aircraft, and they need > better vision than mission specialists. Competition is > extremely keen, with an average of over 4,000 applicants for > about 20 openings every 2 years. > > Astronaut recruiting occurs periodically. For more information, > write to the Astronaut Selection Office, NASA Johnson Space > Center, Houston,TX 77058.

Cheshire's Law: You can't break The Rules, but once you know what they are, you can abuse the heck out of them!

> Any adult man or woman in excellent physical condition who > meets the basic qualifications can be selected to enter > astronaut training.

> For mission specialists and pilot astronauts, the minimum > requirements include a bachelor's degree in engineering, > science or mathematics from an accredited institution.

> Three > years of related experience must follow the degree, and an > advanced degree is desirable.

> Pilot astronauts must have at > least 1,000 hours of experience in jet aircraft, and they need > better vision than mission specialists.

> Competition is > extremely keen, with an average of over 4,000 applicants for > about 20 openings every 2 years.

ASCAN (Astronaut Candidate)

10 COMMANDMENTS:

(Meant to be humourous, but like most humor conatins the ring of truth) 1. Keep smiling, but not grinning 2. Keep your humor harmless, pure and perfect. People don't understand irony. 3. Keep your weaknesses to yourself. If you don't point them out to others, they will never see them. 4. Never complain; make survival look easy. 5. You are expected to say something nice after each flight, class, or simulation. 6. If you can't say something nice, lie -- nicely. 7. In particular, practice saying, "Thanks for pointing that out, sir. I'll really work on that." 8. Be aggressively humble and dynamically inconspicuous. Save your brilliance for your friends and family. 9. Remember -- whatever's encouraged is mandatory. Whatever's discouraged is prohibited. 10. Nothing is sometimes a good thing to do and always a clever thing to say. REVIEW THIS LIST DAILY

Start Jogging

Study Astronomy

Learn the Phonetic Alphabet

Get a Ham Radio license

Join the Civil Air Patrol, or the Scouts

Become a Student Member of the AIAA