

NASA now seeking candidates for Astronaut positions - bootload
http://astronauts.nasa.gov/content/broch00.htm

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mturmon
You know this already, but it's ridiculously hard to get in. I know two people
who have applied. One's a PhD cosmologist who does aerobatics on the side.
One's a PhD geophysicist who's also an experienced pilot and a mission data
scientist. They didn't get in.

OTOH, I know another person who's also qualified who doesn't want the job,
because you have to live in Houston, do a lot of PR and outreach, and the
chances of actually flying are not very good.

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bfe
You didn't say if the cosmologist is theoretical or experimental. A scientist
would need a solid experimental record to be very competitive as a mission
specialist astronaut candidate. (And of course an applicant for pilot
astronaut has basically zero chance without top performance as an experimental
test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base on her resumé.)

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mturmon
All I'm saying is, they're both exceptional (among the class of serious-about-
flying hard-science PhDs with extensive publication records and > 10 years
mission experience) and they did not get in. Just calibration.

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bfe
When I was in college I made a laminated pocket-size printout of the Astronaut
Candidate Basic Qualifications and carried it in my wallet every day, and it
actually inspired me often to study harder and to go running.

I think it's hard to overestimate how much benefit the space program has had
just in terms of how much it has inspired people to study math, science, and
engineering -- or how much further that inspiration would go if we were
sending astronauts to destinations beyond low-Earth orbit.

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courtewing
I liked to imagine astronauts as individuals who excelled so much in their
given fields that they stood out and were actively recruited by NASA. Instead,
I find out that NASA posts job postings and interviews people just like
everyone else. This would be mildly concerning other than the fact that it
appears to be working.

Edit: I wonder if they are asked silly interview questions such as "If you
were stuck on the moon with only three items, what would you want them to be
and why?"

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hugh3
_I liked to imagine astronauts as individuals who excelled so much in their
given fields that they stood out and were actively recruited by NASA. Instead,
I find out that NASA posts job postings and interviews people just like
everyone else_

Possibly if your job is "test pilot" then you might still get recruited by
NASA. For scientist-astronauts, though, I'm guessing that being spectacularly
brilliant in your particular field is neither sufficient nor necessary to be a
good astronaut; better to hire good but not necessarily field-leading science-
trained types who also excel in the various other qualities which you need in
order to strap yourself to a giant bomb and perform brilliantly in adverse
circumstances for several days without enough sleep.

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cpeterso
Early this year, the NY Times had an article about NASA losing astronauts to
private companies (like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic) because NASA cancelled the
Ares I and Constellation programs. Who wants to be an astronaut if you are
unlikely to fly?

[https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/science/space/24astronaut...](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/24/science/space/24astronaut.html)

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hugh3
I'd still do it just to pick up chicks.

I guess NASA frowns upon getting "I'm an astronaut, bitch" printed on your
business cards, though.

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mrspandex
"Frequent travel may be required"

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hugh3
The best perk, as far as I'm concerned, is that when they _do_ need you to go
to another city they apparently give you one of these:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_T-38_Talon>

and tell you to make your own way there.

The worst part is that you have to live in Houston.

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rbanffy
"Applicants for the Astronaut Candidate Program must be citizens of the United
States"

:-(

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vilius
job perks: competitive salary

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hugh3
Actually, the base level GS-11 pay grade, with a location adjustment for
Houston, apparently translates to about $65K. I really hope that, like
military pay, gets boosted with all sorts of crazy allowances, because $65K
just seems... unbecoming.

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trin_
really? money would be a concern for you when you were going to space?

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saltwatershane
Exactly. I'd take a negative salary (I'd pay them) for that job.

