# How Does One Become An Astronaut? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578 "2010-12-09T20:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/1 "2010-12-09T20:45:27Z")
I was watching _I Dream Of Jeannie_ for the last 40 years but unfortunately I never could find the exact path to accomplishing this 🙂 So I guess to be an astronaut, one has to be in the US Air Force? Or does one? I mean a REAL astronaut, like the kind that went to the moon, not someone who is just a scientist and goes for the ride. (I don’t know if that happens but you get my point :)) So what are the steps from say air force to guy who goes to the moon? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/2 "2010-12-09T20:52:14Z")
All I know about the subject I learned from **[The Right Stuff](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Right_Stuff_(film))** but all of those early astronauts were test pilots. Today they’re all scientists and engineers with PhD’s. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/3 "2010-12-09T20:59:22Z")
You apply to NASA. Back when I was in grad school circa 1980, they actually advertised for candidates. Even before that, you could apply. I’m pretty sure that’s how Ron McNair, Ph.D. in Physics from MIT and Shoto-kan Black Belt\*, got into the program. \*and co-author, with me, of two papers. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/4 "2010-12-09T21:02:45Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I was watching _I Dream Of Jeannie_ for the last 40 years but unfortunately I never could find the exact path to accomplishing this 🙂 > > So I guess to be an astronaut, one has to be in the US Air Force? Or does one? I mean a REAL astronaut, like the kind that went to the moon, not someone who is just a scientist and goes for the ride. (I don’t know if that happens but you get my point :)) Most astronauts are Air Force or Navy pilots. Some have been civilians. In all cases, you have to fill out a bigass application. Most people get rejected. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/5 "2010-12-09T21:06:31Z")
Astronaut Candidate Application brochure, straight from NASA’s web page (PDF): [http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/content/AstroCandbro\_sm\_new.pdf](http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/content/AstroCandbro_sm_new.pdf) Minimum qualifications are a bachelor’s degree (engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics), plus a graduate degree and / or professional experience. You also need to pass a physical, and be between 62" tall and 75" tall. To be a “piloting background” astronaut (i.e., you actually fly something), add 1000 hours of jet piloting experience (and, preferentially, test pilot experience). Here’s another PDF from the NASA site, on the selection and training process: [http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/content/Astronaut\_Selection\_and\_Training\_2007.pdf](http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/content/Astronaut_Selection_and_Training_2007.pdf) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/6 "2010-12-09T21:15:04Z")
One of the professors here was an astronaut. He was working for Lockheed at the time, and they were building an instrument that would fly on the Shuttle, which would need a payload specialist on board to operate it. Oddly, the manager considered this a problem, that they’d have a hard time finding a volunteer for it, and he was the only one who jumped at it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/7 "2010-12-09T21:18:23Z")
Have a look at Brian O’Leary’s book **The Making of an Ex-Astronaut** for a look at the process circa Apollo: > **[The Making of an Ex-Astronaut: O'Leary, Brian: 9780671772857: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/The-Making-of-an-Ex-Astronaut/dp/0671772856)** > > The Making of an Ex-Astronaut \[O'Leary, Brian\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Making of an Ex-Astronaut O’Leary himself never went up, but he did do work in planetary science. Judging from his bio, he got a bit weird later on: > **[Brian O'Leary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_O%27Leary)** > > Brian Todd O'Leary (January 27, 1940 – July 28, 2011) was an American scientist, author, and NASA astronaut. He was part of NASA Astronaut Group 6, a group of scientist-astronauts chosen with the intention of training for the Apollo Applications Program. > O'Leary was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts on January 27, 1940. He decided to become an astronaut after visiting Washington, D.C. as a teenager. On December 1, 1983, O'Leary was married to Delores Marie Lefkowitz, also known as De... ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/8 "2010-12-09T21:19:56Z")
I always thought it was interesting that Neil Armstrong was a civilian in 69. Most astronauts back then were still in the military. He was a former Navy pilot. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/9 "2010-12-09T21:42:31Z")
Tony Nelson and Roger Healey from “I Dream of Jeannie” would have been Apollo-era astronauts; back then, as noted, all astronauts had backgrounds as military pilots (Nelson and Healey were Air Force). The original “Mercury 7” were 3 Navy pilots, 3 Air Force pilots, and 1 Marine pilot. The next group (Astronaut Group 2, which served in Gemini and Apollo) were 5 Navy pilots and 4 Air Force pilots. All members of those first two groups had backgrounds as test pilots. Astronaut Group 3 (also served on Gemini and Apollo) were 4 Navy pilots, 8 Air Force pilots, and 2 Marine pilots. It was the first group which was not entirely test pilots. It wasn’t until Astronaut Group 4 (selected in June 1965, though none flew in space before 1972) that NASA selected astronauts for a background other than pilot / test pilot. Group 4 consisted of 3 physicists, 2 physicians, and a geologist (though four of the six also served in the Navy or Air Force, and one had completed pilot training with the Air Force). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/10 "2010-12-09T23:06:30Z")
Someone I dated for a short while later became a Shuttle astronaut. She was in med school when I knew her. She later became a medical officer at the Space Center, and eventually an astronaut. She went on 3 Shuttle missions in the late 80s-early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/11 "2010-12-10T00:16:07Z")
All you have to do is travel into space to become an astronaut. Russia was sending people up for cash, don’t know if they still have that program. It was expensive. With shuttle flights coming to an end, there may be a lot less opportunities to become an astronaut in the near future. At the same time though, there are several private space vehicles being developed for space tourism, so it may not be too long before there are many new opportunities, but they will probably be expensive. Also, there is no guarantee that on landing you will find a bottle with a gorgeous female genie in it. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/12 "2010-12-10T00:29:37Z")
I don’t know exactly how, but they are all over-achievers. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/13 "2010-12-10T00:51:52Z")
Basically, from [here](http://nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/content/AstroCandbro_sm_new.pdf) you need at least a bachelor’s degree in natural science, engineering or mathematics, and three years of increasingly responsible professional experience, for which graduate degrees can be substituted (presumably including MDs and the like). Since so many astronauts have Ph.D.s these days, that seems to be the normal route towards achieving that requirement. For those with the basic academic qualifications, they also consider experience as a teacher, including K-12, to be qualifying. I was surprised by this until it occurred me that such candidates, if chosen, probably make great ambassadors of the space program to the public. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/14 "2010-12-10T01:30:15Z")
When Christa McAuliffe died on Challenger there was another teacher as her backup. That teacher later became a regular astronaut . (not just the “teacher in space”) She flew 1 mission in 2007 > **[Barbara Morgan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Morgan)** > > Barbara Radding Morgan (born November 28, 1951) is an American teacher and a former NASA astronaut. She participated in the Teacher in Space program as backup to Christa McAuliffe for the 1986 ill-fated STS-51-L mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger. She then trained as a mission specialist, and flew on STS-118 in August 2007. She is the first teacher to have been to space. > Morgan was born to Dr. and Mrs. Jerry Radding in 1951 and raised in Fresno, California, where she attended Herbert Hoov... ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/15 "2010-12-10T01:38:28Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Tony Nelson and Roger Healey from “I Dream of Jeannie” would have been Apollo-era astronauts; back then, as noted, all astronauts had backgrounds as military pilots (Nelson and Healey were Air Force). Nitpick: Healy was in the army. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/16 "2010-12-10T01:42:43Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Nitpick: Healy was in the army. You’re right; I’d forgotten that he wore a different color uniform. That said, Healey represented something that didn’t exist in reality at that time: an astronaut from the Army. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/17 "2010-12-10T01:53:56Z")
My sister applied to be an astronaut; she was turned down. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/18 "2010-12-10T02:12:14Z")
Buy a lot of bananas and a diaper? The first astronauts were chimps. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/19 "2010-12-10T02:16:16Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > You’re right; I’d forgotten that he wore a different color uniform. > > That said, Healey represented something that didn’t exist in reality at that time: an astronaut from the Army. Yeah, that made the show totally unrealistic. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578/20 "2010-12-10T02:24:36Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > not someone who is just a scientist and goes for the ride. (I don’t know if that happens but you get my point :)) It happens, I briefly worked for a guy who went along for the ride twice in order to conduct his scientific experiment. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-become-an-astronaut/563578.md?page=2)