NASA to recruit fresh batch of astronauts Ever wanted to get into space, armed with your three PhDs or test pilot's licence, but nothing suitable comes up in the Jobcentre search? Well luckily for you, NASA is hunting for a new class of astronauts - but, be warned, new recruits may wait a long time to get into space. NASA is seeking astronaut candidates who will …
It's more the complexity, and the sometimes limited time to react to a problem. And I can see NASA having work for astronaut-trained test pilots. They could do basic astronaut training, then work as a test pilot (with time for refresher courses), and go back to full-time astronaut when they are assigned a mission.
That's possibly too simple. But doesn't the RAF and USAF have pilots spending time doing desk jobs? Not just paperwork on the Squadron.
Well there are four manned spacecraft under development at present. I'm not sure what use there will be for all of them (assuming they all fly of course), but they will need crews. Although there will be non-NASA astronauts as well. Boeing is planning on using its own test pilots for the CST-100.
I can see the tourist trade taking off in the next five years. Very rich tourists, admittedly.
Its not just a matter of having a bunch of astronauts ready to go when the funding starts. Its a matter of passing on the actual knowledge involved and keeping that alive. If all the current astronauts are dead or too old to fly when the mars mission starts gearing up, there will be no one who can train the marsnauts. Its the same reason we keep slowly building new subs we may not really need, any why we're going to have so much trouble ramping up nuclear reactor construction, a lot of this stuff is very dificult to get from book learning, not least because its not written down, or written down assuming other knowledge that isn't written down because "everyone knows it". If you don't have live people to pass it on, the knowledge gets lost.
....why the metric system is so much better. Funny enough, NASA does all its calculations using the metric system. The "inches" stuff they leave for public relations purposes.
Besides, that is the first test for candidates: do your math and get your size right. Astronaut pants are expensive.
I was thinking about a mid-life (well, OK, a bit past that; is there an age range for astronauts?) career change since IT guys can never seem to get any time off, and had considered "Olympic Athlete". Unfortunately, I'm more the bookish type, so not very good at any sports. (US) Presidential candidate seemed good, but I'm likely much too honest and under-funded for that.
Plus, in both fields there's that "having to compete every four years" thing.
This sort of thing seems right up my alley though....
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