How to Become an Astronaut - The Basics

While many people believe that astronauts are all super-achievers with engineering degrees and scientific degrees, the truth is that none of them have any formal training or educational background in any sort of physical science or even any sort of astronaut training program. Astronauts are actually ordinary people who have the same average intelligence as the rest of us, and they have the incredible ability to go places no one else has gone before. However, they have no formal astronaut training or education to teach other ordinary people how to become an astronaut. They were simply placed in this position because NASA needed a "backup" in case something happened to the crew on the International Space Station. Now, almost half a century later, this is exactly what American students are learning how to become an astronaut.

The majority of the astronaut candidates that go through NASA's rigorous selection process are those who already have some type of teaching background. In order to get into NASA, you must have at least a bachelor's degree. At the very minimum, you must have at least a high school diploma. But even those with professional experience will usually need to have either a year of teaching experience or a year of qualified work experience.

It might sound unlikely, but actually, there are actually three national clubs for aspiring astronauts. Two of these clubs are the FAA (Eton aerospace academies) and NASASpace (national association of space pilots). One of these national clubs is the astronaut training center. This is a group of students that meet once or twice each year, for a few days or a week, to discuss their experiences and train for a place on the space ship. These students will typically also learn how to prepare and handle themselves in an emergency situation in the event that the astronaut becomes sick or has an issue in their space program. Most of the students who are members of this astronaut training club are students who have had some type of training in undergraduate programs such as chemistry, physics, or biology.

Once a student graduates from a four-year college with an undergraduate degree, they will be able to apply for federal government astronautical positions. The majority of these positions (which also tend to be well paid and competitive) require at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited university. Once you have graduated from a four-year college, you will then be able to apply for how to become an astronaut candidate selection.

If your school does not offer astronautical classes or you were unable to find an astronautical position after graduating, you can look to various hobbyist and community colleges to get the education you need to enter into the astronaut program. The general rule of thumb for entering into this program is to have at least three years of professional experience in a related field. For instance, if you are interested in becoming an astronaut and you are a skilled pilot, you would likely need at least two years of experience as a commercial airline pilot. If you have medical training or educational training, you may need additional time to complete your degree.

The third step on how to become an astronaut is to pass the necessary NASA training requirements in order to join the astronaut program. While there are a number of ways to do this, the two most common include through flight training in a training facility or by undergoing instruction from a NASA approved astronaut training school. Astronauts train for up to one year before they are allowed to take their first space mission.