Michelle's+Page->Education+and+Health

Welcome to your first part of becoming an Astronaut. I will be guiding you through the requirements to be an astronaut. It may seem like an easy job, but it requires a lot. There are a variety of different requirements to be an astronaut such as your education, and your health. Are you healthy enough? Is your blood pressure 140/90 in a sitting position? Do you have good eye sight? These are specific requirements that you will need to be an astronaut. So lets get started!

In the process of being an astronaut, you need to choose the type of astronaut you want to be. Your choice of astronaut career will define what you need to know, and how you can achieve it. There are two specific types of astronauts: Each of these jobs require specific job standards, please keep in mind that there are no universities that provide astronaut training, so using these steps, will give you an idea of your health and education requirements.
 * ** Commander and Pilot **
 * ** Mission **** Specialists **

__**Education **__ Every year we receive thousands of applications, but out of that thousand applications only a few are chosen to continue onto training. We choose people from many different categories such as teachers, doctors, scientist and engineers. Before you apply you should know that you need a bachelor's degree in order to be a possible option. To better your chances of becoming an astronaut you might want to focus your studies on these specific subjects: • Engineering • Mathematics • Biological science • Physical science • Science education • Research and application • Medicine • Physical education (A degree isn't required in physical education. But it is highly important that you stay in great shape, and make sure that you take place in a lot of sports and activities to keep you body fit.)

Now this is where your choice of astronaut comes into place. Remember there are two different types of astronaut you can choose from. If you want to be a Commander or a Pilot here are some of the things you want to keep in mind:

__**Commander and Pilot **__ • You must have a Bachelor's degree from an institution in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. (An advanced degree is recommended. ) • You need at least 1,000 hours in pilot-in-command time in a jet aircraft. (Flight test experience is highly recommended. ) • You must be able to pass the space physical test. • Your eye distance visual accuracy must be: 20/100 or better uncorrected, or 20/20 for each eye • You blood pressure must be: 140/90 in a sitting position • You must be within the height of 67 and 76 inches.
 * Duties:** on-board responsibilities for vehicle, safety of flight, mission success, responsible for crew members
 * Health:**

If you are thinking of becoming a mission specialist here are some thing you should think about: • You need a Bachelor’s degree from a institution in engineering, biologic science, physical science r mathematics • Followed by at least three years of related professional experience. • An advanced degree is highly recommended (master degree= 1 year, doctoral degree=3 years) • You must pass a class II space physical • Your eye distance visual accuracy must be: 20/150 or better uncorrected, each eye must have 20/20 vision. • Your blood pressure must be 140/90 in a sitting position • Your height can be in between 58.5 and 76 inches
 * __Mission Specialist__**
 * Duties:** coordinating operations, operating systems, crew activity planning, experiment operations.
 * Health:**

Once you have decided what type of astronaut you want to be then you are prepared to hand in that application. It's a big commitment, but in the end it is all worth it. So now you are ready for training good luck, and have fun!

Here are some Inspiring Astronauts, take a look: Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova Charles Pete Conard

Page references: [|canright, Shelly. NASA education. 13 April 2009. 1 Jun 2009 .] [|Smith, Yvette. "Astronaut health reviews." 23 January 2008. 1 Jun 2009]  [|Bombay Institution of Technological Studies. "Astronaut Quialifications." 1 Jun 2009]

Go Home Or lean about Astronaut Training