THE ASTRONAUT RESOURCES
The good, bad and the wonderful about being an Astronaut:
("Astronaut" means star sailor in Greek)
The odds of becoming an astronaut are not in your favor. Simply meeting
the requirements (in order to submit an application) demands a multitude years of
dedicated effort and perseverance. In order to be selected, you need a sparkling
personality, a team-player attitude, a wide range of superb recommendations &
qualifications, and, most important of all : a healthy supply of LUCK.
The Astronaut occupation itself requires long and arduous work hours, a meager government
salary and frequent travel.
There is also the possibility that you will only get one flight
opportunity, or perhaps none during your entire career. If you are 17
years old and you have a dream of becoming an astronaut, be prepared to wait at
least another 20 years, before being eligible for the profession.
Yet when compared with the career's benefits, these seemingly ugly disadvantages greatly pale in significance.
I cannot think of a more rewarding career than being an astronaut. It provides an endless flood of joy and inspiration and opportunities that no other profession can ever hope to give.
There is no sure-fire way to become an astronaut. All I can advise hopefuls out there is to develop a passionate devotion to any aspect of space exploration, be it computer engineering or biochemistry.
For those really interested in the selection-process itself, I've included the 2 primary rating sheets used in determining your candidacy:
ASTRONAUT-SELECTION --- EVALUATION: RATING SHEET:
The first rating sheet is divided into six parts, as follows:
A. ACADEMICS..............25 points
BS...................5 points
MS...................10 points
Ph.D., MD or equal.....20 points
More than one field..5 points
Total x QAD* factor = total score.B. RECENCY OF EDUCATION.....5 points
Years since last degree
3 or less.............5 points
3-4...................4 points
4-5...................3 points
5 or more.............0 points
C. EXPERIENCE..............30 points
4 points per year, maximum of 5 years.
More than one field, 0-10 points additional
Total x QAD* factor = total score
D. OTHER..................15 points
Other unique skills and experience
E. REFERENCES.............25 points
F. TOTAL SCORE............100 points possible.
*please note: QAD stands for Quality, Applicability, and Diversity. It is used to judge the quality of our education (i.e. degrees from MIT count for more than degrees from Lameville U).
To have a realistic chance, you should score 75 at the very least.
The second rating sheet - the "Interview"- section is completely subjective. 20 points are awarded for each of the following criteria:
Experience / potential
Motivation
Teamwork
Communications
Adaptability
The Interview either makes you, or breaks you.
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