Kathryn's+Page->Astronaut+Training

So you passed the education and health requirements. Good for you! But can you pass the training. It's not all numbers and blood tests. You need to learn how to act in space, and you need to get used to the feeling of being in space. So get suited up you're next in line for Astronaut Training. Before I allow you to go off and train I feel you should see what you will soon be up against. So check out [|Astronaut Training Time Line.]

Now you need to know becoming an astronaut means you will undergo excessive training, and you will need to put in a great amount of hard work. A basic astronaut training period is for 2 years. During this 2 years astronaut candidate receive training in: • Basic science (astronomy, physics,  meteorology, oceanography) • Basic Math • Technology (navigation, orbital mechanics, materials processing) • Space shuttle system Full astronaut training can take up to 5 years. In those 5 years you will do many things to prepare you for a life in space. As a new comer you will first be taught parachute jumping, land and sea survival techniques, scuba diving and ways to overcome high (hyberbaric) and low (hypobaric) atmospheric pressure conditions. You will also have to pass a swimming test. You will be exposed to micro gravity of space flight. Pilot astronauts are given 15 hours of flying training per month in T-38 jets. Mission specialists are given four hours of flight training. All of the candidates will begin training by reading manuals, and taking computer based training in different [|orbiter systems, ranging from propulsion to environmental.]After getting selected for a specific flight, all of the candidates will receive specific training for their mission at least 10 months before the flight. The astronauts will be trained in [|flight simulators], [|full-scale mockups] of the shuttle and space station, and [|underwater training] for space walks. The simulations will prepare the astronauts for every kind of emergency or contingency. After training, pilot astronauts are prepared for the flight with training in the shuttle itself. There will be meetings, more simulations, medical tests and discussions. They are often called debriefings. After this, you will be ready for space travel.

[|"Astronaut Training." Space Travel Guide. 26 May 2009 .] [|Botha, Kris. "Astronaut Training." The Asstronaut Resources. 01 July 1998. 28 May 2009 .] = =  Great astronauts you should look to as mentors: Neil Armstrong Kathryn Thornton

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