

A NASA Engineer Became an Astronaut After Being Rejected 14 Times - pmcpinto
http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/interviews/a16978/clayton-anderson-interview/

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kelukelugames
Amazing story but the interview is not interesting at all. Doesn't talk about
his struggles. Just generic fluff.

Here is the link to reviews for his book.

[http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Spaceman-Boyhood-Dreams-
Astro...](http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Spaceman-Boyhood-Dreams-
Astronaut/dp/0803262825/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440187843&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Ordinary+Spaceman&pebp=1440187903410&perid=0W89271FCJG0XNQTV01T)

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smackfu
Reminds me of the story of Charles Walker.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_D._Walker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_D._Walker)

Went on three shuttle missions with a BS in engineering and never joining
NASA.

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Animats
Being an astronaut for NASA would be more interesting if NASA had a
functioning launch system. NASA still has too many astronauts. They had
something like 140 at peak; now they're down to 46 or so.

Once Space-X gets their Falcon/Dragon system man-rated, this may change.

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bane
If Space-X can get launch costs down, this number will likely explode, as will
commercial astronaut programs.

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david-given
While I agree with the sentiment, I do think the word 'explode' in this
sentence was possibly not a good choice?

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michaelt
I'd expect the number of astronauts to skyrocket :)

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david-given
Q. What's the difference between a bomb and a rocket?

A. Bombs blow things up. Rockets blow things _up_.

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informatimago
Err, don't rockets blow things down, to get an upward push by reaction?

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david-given
Everyone knows that rockets work by pushing against the atmosphere!

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awicklander
He has an awesome story. I had the good luck to interview him a little while
ago for a sporadic podcast I do:
[http://projectidealism.com/posts/2014/1/31/podcast-
episode-1...](http://projectidealism.com/posts/2014/1/31/podcast-
episode-17-that-moment-is-given-to-you-by-the-lack-of-gravity)

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neurotech1
A surprising number of "NASA engineers" from JSC became astronauts. When
working at JSC, these engineers interact with the astronauts, and having a
senior astronaut on your side is an advantage.

Additionally, a large proportion of astronauts apply multiple times before
selection, although 14 times is probably a record.

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reinhardt
On the one hand that's some admirable persistence right there.. on the other I
don't know.. how would you feel if your doctor had been rejected 14 times from
med school before getting his degree?

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sandworm101
I think the astronauts are more patients than doctors. They are test subjects.
Every move in space is carefully planned by committees on the ground. No doubt
it is a demanding job requiring all sorts of skills, but it isn't the same as
a surgeon. Absent some worst case scenarios, responsibility and decision
making is far more shared.

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amorphid
Astronauts are some of the most highly trained people on the planet.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training)

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sandworm101
Training and responsibility are different concepts.

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sandworm101
Glad to see that this guy doesn't appear to be politically connected. So many
astros are that I had assumed anyone taken into the program so late in their
career would be related to a senator or three. It's nice to be proven wrong.

But I remain under the impression that astro selection is very political.

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Ankaios
Which astronauts were politically connected prior to selection?

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sandworm101
For starters ... all who want to westpoint. To go to the point you need a
recommendation from either sitting congressmen/senator, or a "career" officer
of note in the US armed forces. Westpoint is not open to just anyone with the
grades. You very literally have to know people in high places.

[http://www.usma.edu/admissions/sitepages/apply_nominations.a...](http://www.usma.edu/admissions/sitepages/apply_nominations.aspx)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_astronauts_educated_at...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_astronauts_educated_at_the_United_States_Military_Academy)

(That's just the easiest to research. If you dig into most astronaut's
backgrounds you can find prominent people who helped them along.)

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Ankaios
The academies are indeed open to "just anyone," but grades aren't the only
consideration. Members of Congress have processes for requesting the
nomination letters, and anyone can request one. There is strong competition
for nominations.

I've had a few friends who attended West Point and the Air Force Academy, and
they were all "normal," middle-class high school students, but with great
grades, athletic achievements, and evidence of leadership ability.

Have any other examples of political influence in astronaut selection?

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g0v
Good for him, chase your dreams.

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inguinalhernia
Persistence is so often an underrated trait

