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Astronaut candidates

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9GClub

9GClub

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 5, 2004
Posts
325
Anybody on here applied for the program? Is it as competitive as it seems like it would be? Does NASA prefer to tap from the Air Force or the Navy? Last I heard, the minimum qualifications included an advanced degree in the hard sciences/math/engineering and (for Shuttle pilots) 1000 hours of PIC tac-jet time.
 
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/EI49.asp

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
The minimum requirements include a bachelor's degree in engineering, science, or mathematics from an accredited institution. However, an advanced degree is desirable. Additionally, all applicants must have substantial directly related experience and pilot astronauts must have at least 1,000 hours of experience in jet aircraft.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Following a thorough review of all applications, the Astronaut Selection Board (ASB) interviews a small number of highly-qualified applicants and evaluates based on the following criteria:

Experience and potential;
motivation;
ability to function as a member of a team;
communicative abilities;
adaptability; and,
other related factors.
 
I'm not qualified, but I have known some Shuttle selectees over the years. Plus, a pilot I work with applied. If you're talking "pilot" positions, you better be a TPS graduate. Plus, as with any high vis gov't position, politics plays into it: was a pilot already selected from a certain congressional district or state? If so, that doesn't help your case, since another Congressman/Senator wants their boy put into the slot. Yes, advanced degrees are needed, as well as -- I kid you not -- 20/20 vision. I'm sure other our there have more direct experience than I, and might refute something, but this is what I know.
 
Two folks from my TPS class (out of about 15 US military officers) are current astronauts. I didn't apply for the program, but I watched as they went into it. They were both Academy grads (West Point and Annapolis), both TPS grads, and both had advanced degrees. They are mission specialists, since both were helo pilots. None of our fast-movers got picked up.

It is rare for a non-TPS grad military officer who isn't an MD to get selected, though I knew one USMC helo pilot who got picked up as a mission specialist based on his advanced degree in Agrarian Science (farm production), and who had never gone to TPS.

An undergrad degree from one of the Service Academies is absolutely not a requirement, though a goodly percentage of astronauts went there. You'll also see undergrad degrees from MIT and the other usual suspects.

We got the full tour of the Houston facility during one of our TPS class fieldtrips, and NASA arranged social time and sit down meetings with the senior astronauts. Their pitch was that the Test Pilot community was their "minor leagues" and they urged everyone in the class to apply for the program as soon as they completed their TPS payback tour.

A quick run through of the astronaut bios on-line at NASA will give you a good idea of the background that helped them meet their goals. If you aren't a military pilot, or can't get into TPS, you'll need to get a Doctorate in an appropriate subject. I don't know of any recent astronaut pilots who were not military pilots and TPS grads.

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/
 
Is it as competitive as it seems like it would be?
Click to expand...
I would say being selected to become a space shuttle pilot is, without question, the hardest flying position in the world to compete for. Never mind the education requirements, flying training selection, selection into fighters, and then Test Pilot School. Granted, not every shuttle pilot started as a fighter pilot, Ellen Collins, commander of the next mission, comes to mind. I know a TPS grad who was not selected and he is the sharpest, most upstanding individual I have ever met. Sharper than the guy who was selected, but that’s my opinion. Makes me wonder what on earth he’s doing fly fighters with the rest of us dogs.



A lot of luck required too. Imagine if you were a Rhodes Scholars/Advanced degree types who went to UPT in the early ‘90s, graduated #1 and got a heavy because there were no fighters. Saw it happen. I wonder why those guys are flying too. Shouldn’t they be writing Government policy, designing aircraft etc, etc. But I detract…..
 
I know a guy who was selected as a shuttle pilot on a recent board fairly well. Qualifications as prviously discussed. #1 Grad from the Air Force Academy, Advanced Degree in Aero and Astro, F-15's, TPS, F-22 Test Pilot, etc...,etc...,etc... Great guy and well deserved. Almost scary how smart the guy is...
 
Rick Searfoss was a young Captain IP when I went through the F-111 course in mid 80s. He helped teach me to fly radio controlled models.

He was a great guy. He was an Air Force Academy "blue chip" and went on to be a Shuttle Commander.

I saw him on TV twice recently, once on Discovery where he was one of the X-Prize judges for Bert Rutan, and then I saw him on, of all things, "The Apprentice" where he was the instructor when the contestants flew a ZeroG 727.
 
The Apollo program is sort of a hobby of mine, So I have a fair amount of space program reference material.

Skidriver is spot-on. A brief perusal of Who's Who in Space shows that only a few non-TPS Pilot Astronauts were ever selected, and only in the 63' group. (We're talking serious 50-pound brains here, guys like Buzz Aldrin (Fighter pilot/Phd astrophysicist) and Walter Cunningham (Fighter pilot/RAND scientist) Seeing a trend here?

There is no Navy or Air Force bias. If you take a look at NASA's website, you'll get a pretty good idea of who they're hiring. Some of the bio's are quite impressive.
 
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I have a hunch that it helps to have breasts. The Bio's of the women pilot-astronauts seem pretty unremarkable when compared to the men, at least where flying is concerned.
 
What is your time-horizon (how old are you?). I hope way off, as I hear there's quite a backlog of astronauts right now. Buddy of mine, USAFA, F16,TPS, NASA is one of the more junior astronauts, has been one for 4+ yrs and probably another 2 before he goes vertical. Last he told me, would be awhile before NASA needed more astronauts. If you want, I'll ask him to add comments...
 
I'm pretty sure the Army guys are only up for Mission Specialist slots. We have guys that go through TPS, but I don't know of any that went on as Mission Commanders or stick wigglers.
 
G100F16 said:
What is your time-horizon (how old are you?). I hope way off, as I hear there's quite a backlog of astronauts right now. Buddy of mine, USAFA, F16,TPS, NASA is one of the more junior astronauts, has been one for 4+ yrs and probably another 2 before he goes vertical. Last he told me, would be awhile before NASA needed more astronauts. If you want, I'll ask him to add comments...
Click to expand...

I'm 21 and tryin to get that ASEL.... looking at USAF/USN OCS as a possibility down the road, but I'd need eye surgery and/or a vision waiver. Even if I was medically qualified, I wouldn't say I'm dying to fly in space, but I was interested in the quals nevertheless. Definitely some high-caliber folks. I'd love to hear comments from your friend at some point when he has a chance. I appreciate it.
 
OH wow, I just went over to NASA to check out some of the BIO's anyone seen the videos up at the top of the main page with people welcoming you to the site. Well first time I got Buzz Aldrin, and the second time around I got some deaf chick who I couldnt understand a word from. Wow.
 
9GClub said:
I'm 21 and tryin to get that ASEL.... looking at USAF/USN OCS as a possibility down the road, but I'd need eye surgery and/or a vision waiver. Even if I was medically qualified, I wouldn't say I'm dying to fly in space, but I was interested in the quals nevertheless. Definitely some high-caliber folks. I'd love to hear comments from your friend at some point when he has a chance. I appreciate it.
Click to expand...

9G,

Passed your question to my buddy at NASA. Said to tell you, sorry - has too many pots on the stove to pitch in on this topic (he's the CAPCOM for July 13th mission). He did, however, come check out the comments and said he got a few chuckles at some of our comments...HA!

He and I did the USAFA thing. He was a math major, I was originally Engineering Sciences (aero track) - but later downgraded to General Engr. My advisor (who went on to USAF TPS and Msn Specialist) told me that I was 'closing the door, somewhat' on being an astronaut. So....if rules are the same...I'd plan on a technical BS degree, if available...a technical MS degree... shoot toward USN or USAF TPS via any route. My buddy did F16s too, but not sure if that got him to NASA ahead of any other TPS students. He also is fluent in a couple foreign languages and did exchange tours with other countries (while at USAFA).

Pretty darn competitive. I think I remember hearing only 2% of TPS grads get picked up for NASA....and it's crazy hard just to get into TPS, from my understanding.

Cheers and hope that helps.......
 
I don't know the stats now, but when Challenger Commander Col Scobee got picked up for the Shuttle, he was the first non-fighter pilot to get a Shuttle pilot slot.
 
Road to Astronaut

9G (and any other like minded lurkers out there)

My advice to you is just take it one step at a time.

I was in a similar situation as you my junior year in College, and I took the leap. I did the same thing re. looking at Astronaut bio's and noticed the TPS trend as well. But here's how I viewed it:

I got picked up for (AF) OTS _with_ a pilot slot and medically cleared before I ever signed anything. If you've already passed the ROTC/Academy gate by, then I highly recommend OTS. After that...

Shooting for fighters, because most of the Astronauts are fighter pilots. If I don't get it, I'm still a pilot - oh darn.

Got picked up for T-38s. Shooting for a fast mover, cause most of the astronauts are fast mover pilots. If I don't get it, I'm still a fighter pilot - oh darn.

Got picked up for the mighty Strike Eagle. Shooting for TPS, because almost all of the astronauts are TPS grads. If I don't get it, I'm still a (fast) fighter pilot - oh darn.

Got picked up for TPS - and that's where I stand now. Class starts in Jan. Shooting for Astronaut, if I don't get it - oh darn, I'm a Test Pilot.

And I honestly would have been happy if my road ended at any of those 'oh darn' places above.

As long as you are truly happy doing whatever you do, you can't go wrong. And as long as there is some air between my a$$ and the ground - I'm a happy camper.

Cheers,
Jason
 
The Astronaut Program is open to all services - all but two of the 12 classes since the beginning of the shuttle program have included Army pilots.

To say that the program is very political is an understatement. One of my friends who is a flight surgeon, a family practice physician and an engineer was admitted to the program, married a NASA physiologist and spent four years at Houston before he was dismissed from the program because his "personality was inconsistent with the NASA image."

Gulfstream has an astronaut, Blaine Hammond. He has 542 hours in the shuttle and two landings. We give him crap for never getting current.

GV
 
skiddriver said:
GVFlyer,

How did you get the XV-15 time? I could never get NAVAIR and Bell to agree to let me get in the seat?
Click to expand...

It was a combination of unique qualifications, superior skills and knee pads.

GV
 
GVflyer said:


The Astronaut Program is open to all services - all but two of the 12 classes since the beginning of the shuttle program have included Army pilots.
Click to expand...

Hey GV,

Were any of those army green guys mission commanders? I remember seeing plenty of type on mission specialists and the sort, even maybe a couple of FS types but not a commander.

On another note, when I was stationed at Biggs, we would have lunch with some of the guys training at White Sands. An impressive group to say the least!

Good job and happy fourth!!!
 

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