• Question: What lessons would I have to take to be an astrounaut?

    Asked by St4mpi10n6n0s3 to Alex, Andrew, Delma, Julia, Simon on 8 Dec 2015. This question was also asked by big man james.
    • Photo: Julia Attias

      Julia Attias answered on 8 Dec 2015:

      Hi @St4mpi10n6n0s3 and @big man james,

      I would say that the important lessons are the science and maths, as most astronauts would have worked within these fields first.

    • Photo: Andrew Winnard

      Andrew Winnard answered on 8 Dec 2015:

      There are a few routes:

      Like Jules said science, maths and technology help! Engineering based subjects are good too.

      Being a pilot helps as well and some astronauts are chosen from the air force to become spaceship pilots 🙂

    • Photo: Alexander Finch

      Alexander Finch answered on 8 Dec 2015:

      Yes, I agree with the others. But it’s worth noting that astronauts are not just engineers and mathematicians – they can be doctors or biologists. Once, even a teacher got to go! But science and maths allows you to do all of these things later, so they are good choices to study hard at school. And even if you don’t become an astronaut, they are still excellent things to know and let you do lots of really cool jobs!

    • Photo: Delma Childers

      Delma Childers answered on 9 Dec 2015:

      Funny enough, NASA will be recruiting a new batch of astronauts starting next week. They spell out a long list of selection criteria (http://astronauts.nasa.gov/content/broch00.htm) that isn’t altogether very different from ESA’s standards. If you’re not wanting to be a pilot, you’ll need to study engineering, biology, or physical sciences.

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