Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
Becoming an astronaut is neither simple nor straightforward; there are no schools for astronauts
or university courses. So how do you become an astronaut and what qualifications and qualities
do you need? Space agencies are looking for the best people possible. Training an astronaut is a
considerable investment for any agency; training is lengthy and expensive, and the support
needed both before and during a space mission is costly. It takes years to organise a space
mission and altogether hundreds of people are involved in preparing the astronauts and the
spacecraft. Astronauts are pivotal to the success of a mission but flight opportunities are limited,
so space agencies want to be sure that the astronaut selected will make the best possible use of
the precious time they will spend in space.
What is the qualification we need ?
Astronauts need to be able to apply their considerable knowledge and skills to the tasks for
which they have been trained; be able to bear tremendous responsibility while in orbit; and be
determined to succeed. This is what makes them special. A high level of education in scientific
or technical disciplines, coupled with an outstanding professional background in research,
application or education fields possibly supported by the use of computer systems and
applications, is essential. Previous experience with aircraft operations is a bonus, particularly if it
involved responsible tasks such as being a test pilot or flight engineer. The more skills and
experience an applicant has the better, as this will increase their ability to undertake a variety of
tasks. Equally essential is excellent physical condition. Astronauts have to undergo intensive
periods of training and may participate in spaceflights that last for months. During this time their
body will be subject to a great deal of stress and good health and physical endurance are
essential. It is a challenge to live in a confined space for long periods with other people. Among
the psychological qualities required are the ability to get on well with other members of the crew,
and an affinity for teamwork and adaptability, as the space crew must work well together.
Would-be astronauts also need self-control and an equable temperament to cope with stress and
any emergency that may arise. On the operational side, an ability to adapt quickly to changing
situations and mature judgement will be of great help in performing tasks and optimising onorbit routines and procedures. Lastly, astronauts must be willing to travel long distances, both on
Earth and in space, and to spend long periods away from home as astronaut training takes place
in a number of countries and they may participate in long-duration missions.
Public relations ?
Astronauts are often in the spotlight as the public and the media are curious about their life and
missions. This means they must enjoy meeting the public and the press, and be able to
communicate the importance of their tasks in space. Fluency in English is mandatory and a good
knowledge of Russian is an asset as it facilitates training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training
Centre in Russia. Interest in, and knowledge of, American, Russian and Japanese culture is also
useful as it will facilitate good relations with our international partners on the Space Station.
Recriutment ?
If you believe you have the above qualities and qualifications, and can remain dedicated to your
goal of becoming an astronaut, even though it will mean years of hard work, preparation and
patience as you wait for an opportunity to finally board a spacecraft, then you could apply to the
European Astronaut Corps. ESA astronauts can only be selected from countries that are ESA
Member States. A selection round was held between May 2008 and May 2009. From the
applicants, 8413 qualified for the selection process that was performed under the lead of ESAs
European Astronaut Centre (EAC), based in Cologne, Germany. On 20 May 2009, six new ESA
astronauts were presented at a press conference held at ESA Headquarters in Paris, France. The
new ESA astronauts start their basic training at EAC on 1 September 2009.
Lectures presented by European specialists on the origins of life, the space environment,
the role of gravity in molecular, cellular, animal and plant behaviour, and the use of
molecular tools in space biology.
Data analysis workshops which complement the lectures. The theory explained during the
lectures is practised during the organised workshops.
Experiment design projects; in multi-national teams and together with the teachers the
students work on their own life science experiment design. At the end of the course the
projects are presented to the other student teams.
The course concludes with the distribution of certificates to the participating students.
There is also time to socialize, and a trip is planned to places of interest within the
Banyuls area.
ESA grants grants for students and participating teachers. The selected students should
be nationals from one of the ESA Member States* and they should not be eligible to
receive financial support from the Socrates Programme.
E-learning session a live contact with the opportunity to talk to an ESA astronaut.
ESA lectures lectures presented by ESA staff on topics related to exobiology and/or
human spaceflight and exploration.
* The ESA Member States are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
10. If you are interested in a pilot/commander position, instead of mission specialist, you will also
be required to log in at least 1,000 hours of flight time in command of a jet aircraft. During
training all crew members train aboard a T-38 jet, in which the controls are identical to the
Space Shuttle and therefore, can be used as a flight simulator either on the ground or in actual
flight.
11. Many applicants do not meet medical standards while others withdraw after learning all that
the job entails. After collecting significant information,the Astronaut Selection Board will choose
its final candidates and pass that recommendation on the NASA Administrator who will make
the final pick for employment.
12. Once selected, astronaut candidates begin a rigorous training program. Expect many long days,
even after your training ends. Being an astronaut can be hard on family life.
Tips:
1. An interesting fact is that out of 195 former and present astronauts, 123 have taken part in
Scouting. It seems that scouting is a great place to learn many of the skills required to be an
astronaut.
2. Don't approach your college career concerned with how it will appear on a resume. Make sure
you have a real interest in your course of study.
3. As soon as you arrive on campus, go to the co-operative and recruitment offices to explore the
possibilities of an internship or work/study position to gain vital experience necessary to be
marketable. If you wait till your senior year, or even after graduation, you've missed a golden
opportunity.
4. Don't rest on your laurels. Most astronauts to date have continued with career and/or
education to the post-graduate levels and were able to substitute education for all or part of
their work experience requirement. Still, the application process is a long one, and you still need
to eat in the meantime.
5. The Astronaut Selection Board (ASB) is looking for people who have done very well in a technical
field. Make sure you have sterling recommendations, especially from undergraduate and
graduate school professors that can attest to your problem solving abilities, communicability
with others and your ability to work well in a team.
What You Need:
But to Lt. Col. Catherine G. "Cady" Coleman, they mean so much more, and her interest in what these
words mean has opened up to her, quite literally, a new universe. Using her passion and talent for
chemistry and engineering, Coleman has made her way up the ranks from inspired student to research
chemist to NASA astronaut.
"It is the processing that fascinates me," Coleman says. "It's like when you
used to try and make fudge when you were a kid. Each time you would try to
make it, you would put the same set of ingredients together. Yet, one time
you get fudge that is all granular and crunchy, and the next it is a soupy mess that won't solidify. It all has
to do with the processing -- how you put the ingredients together, the baking time, the way you mixed it
up. I always wanted to know how the differences could happen."
Her interest in processing contributed to her interest in the space program, although she says she did not
always know she wanted to be an astronaut.
"Being an astronaut wasn't really a common occupation when I was a kid," Coleman says. "I didn't think
about it until I was in college, and Sally Ride came to speak at MIT. Listening to her, I thought wow, I want
that job! I wanted adventure in my life."
Coleman entered active duty in the Air Force upon
"This is where my training as a scientist
her graduation from the University of
Massachusetts. She began her commission working really came in handy. You need to go
as a research chemist at the Materials Directorate
up there and do your best."
of the Wright Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base. She continued her research on polymers and how they can be used in different computer
applications, such as data storage.
Coleman was selected by NASA in March 1992 to become an astronaut. Her adventure really began in
earnest then, and her knowledge area expanded as she attended astronaut "basic training."
"I needed to learn safety procedures, how the space shuttle works, how the space station operates,
software information and what to do if things go wrong," Coleman says. "Basically, I needed to learn how
to be a space shuttle operator."
That is not to say that Coleman completely stopped doing science. However, her involvement with
chemistry and science shifted.
"I am away from my own research right now," she says. "As an operator, I consult with other scientists as
to how they can make their experiments work in space. I understand their goals, which helps me help
them create a workable microgravity experiment."
Microgravity, a condition in which the effects of gravity are greatly reduced, can provide an excellent
environment for certain kinds of scientific research. When experiments are done in a microgravity
environment, such as on the space shuttle orbiting the Earth, researchers have a unique opportunity to
study the fundamental states of matter -- solids, liquids and gasses -- and the forces that affect them.
Researchers can isolate and study the influence of gravity on physical processes, as well as other
phenomena that are normally masked by gravity.
"In microgravity, it is possible to change some variables that affect and influence processing in a gravity
environment," says Coleman.
She assisted with many microgravity experiments
on her first space shuttle mission, STS-73 on
Columbia, which was the second United States
Microgravity Laboratory mission. NASA selects
experiments to be performed on space shuttle
missions. Astronauts called mission specialists
conduct the experiments. On that particular 16-day
shuttle flight, Coleman served as a mission
specialist, and actively participated in numerous
experiments housed in the pressurized Spacelab module.
"I personally interacted with 30 experiments, many of which were in fluid physics and crystal growth," she
says. "This is where my training as a scientist really came in handy, as it is a challenge to work quickly
but well. It is like having 30 customers in 16 days. There isn't time for mistakes. You need to go up there
and do your best."
With the space station currently under construction, the possibility of experiments being performed in a
more leisurely capacity is a reality. Coleman hopes that one day in the near future she will be conducting
such experiments on the space station.
"I want to be able to help experimenters get all they can out of their experiments in space," she says. "On
the space station, we would have more time to do more scientific exploration. So much of science is in
the mistakes and being aware and intelligent enough to observe them and then learn from them."
For the moment, Coleman has shifted gears away from science to continue to gain the depth of
experience required of an astronaut. In July of 1999, Coleman participated in a five-day shuttle mission,
STS-93 on Columbia, serving as the lead mission specialist for the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray
Observatory. Chandra is enabling scientists to conduct comprehensive studies of the universe, and study
phenomena such as exploding stars, quasars and black holes.
"There have been so many developments in space science, like x-ray astronomy," she says. "There was
so much excitement about this telescope. We have been waiting to get telescopes outside Earth orbit so
we can see out into the universe. Technology makes discovery possible."
Coleman now is training to work in mission control, to be the voice the astronauts in space hear when
they call home. Her experience as a scientist will again come in handy.
"I think it will be very helpful that I know from experience how busy the astronauts are," she says. "There
needs to be a balance between communication and knowing that they are up there doing their jobs. For
instance, I can help make the decisions about whether it is important to discuss with them their plans for
the next four hours or to just give them a few more minutes to complete the tasks they are currently
doing."
It seems to be this appreciation for balance that makes Coleman such an extraordinary astronaut and
scientist. Whether she is processing chemicals, conducting 30 experiments in space or communicating
with the space shuttle, she is in some way utilizing all she has learned.
"The biggest challenge about being involved in the space program is the need to be able to be good at
and know a lot about a lot of things," Coleman says. "It's not just chemistry anymore."
Important link :
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/606877main_FS-2011-11-057-JSC-astro_trng.pdf