Astronaut Training
10 Surprising Facts About
Astronaut Training
"The
fact that I applied 15 times to become an astronaut has not been lost on my
friends, followers or fans,"
astronaut Clay Anderson wrote in his autobiography "Ordinary
Spaceman."
For
him, the 16th time proved to be the charm. Anderson was finally selected to
join NASA’s astronaut training program in 1998.
The
Nebraska native had wanted to be a space traveler since he was 5 years old [source: Anderson].
Many
people feel the irresistible allure of the cosmos. And just like Anderson,
countless have yearned to become astronauts at some point in our lives.
And
yet so few people make the cut. Only around 550 human beings have ever traveled
to outer space [source: Brown].
That's
a small figure. For the sake of comparison, the average American high school
has a student body of 752 pupils [source: National Center
for Educational Statistics].
To
live the dream and join the ranks of the space travelers, astronauts need to
overcome enormous obstacles.
Aspiring
space travelers swim laps in heavy flight gear, withstand nauseating test
flights and square off against the weirdest toilets yet devised.
Ah,
but for those who make it through the training process, the rewards can be
fantastic.
So,
if you feel like throwing your hat in the ring the next time NASA puts out a
want ad for new astronauts, here are a couple of things you might like to know.
(And some fun trivia for good measure.)
10 No Age Restrictions for NASA Candidates
While NASA doesn't have any limits on how old its
astronauts need to be to visit space, it does require potential candidates to
have a bachelor's degree in a STEM-related field such as biology, engineering
or computer science.
NASA
also requires that all astronaut trainees be U.S. citizens with excellent
vision, though the use of glasses is acceptable.
And
finally, successful candidates must have either 1,000 hours' worth of piloting
experience in a jet aircraft or three years of relevant work experience [source: NASA].
But
no, there are no official age restrictions. In the past, NASA has selected
candidates who were as young as 26 and as old as 46 [source: NASA].
And
the late astronaut John Glenn returned to space in 1998 at the age of 77.
Now,
the odds of actually getting chosen, however, are ... well, they're
astronomical.
In
2016, NASA announced that a handful of new people would be allowed to enter its
astronaut training program.
The
administration was then flooded with more than 18,300 applications. Only 12 of
these hopefuls were chosen [source: Ward].
That's
an acceptance rate of just 0.065 percent!
Normally,
the selection process consists of two rounds.
NASA
begins by interviewing about 120 of the most promising candidates. From that
pool, the top eight to 14 applicants enter the newest official class of
astronaut candidates [source: Ziv].
Basic
training for NASA astronaut candidates takes up to two years. Those who
graduate become full astronauts, but that doesn't mean they head right into
space (keep reading).
So
far, there have been 22 classes of NASA astronauts, many of which received
cutesy nicknames. For example, the classes of 1996 and 1998 were called the
"sardines" and "penguins," respectively [source: Wattles].
9 Trainees Swim Laps in Their Flight Suits
All of the required swimming came as a bit of a shock
to astronaut Mike Massimino, who's said that he barely knew how to swim when
NASA selected him for astronaut candidate training [source: Massimino].
During
a candidate's first month of training, he or she must pass a truly rigorous
swim test. Would-be astronauts begin by swimming three full lengths of a
25-meter (82-foot) pool without stopping.
Oh,
and did we mention that the swimmers need to do this while wearing tennis shoes
and a flight suit weighing around 250 pounds (127 kilograms) [source: Ward]?
When
completing this portion of the test, astronaut candidates may use one of three
strokes: the freestyle stroke, the breaststroke or the sidestroke.
They're
allowed to take as much time as they need but immediately after they've
completed all three lengths of the pool, the candidates then must tread water
for 10 minutes. NASA also requires its astronauts to become scuba certified [source: Clement].
We'll
explain why later.
Astronaut
candidates with no prior piloting experience are also put through a Navy-run
water survival training course. Among other things, the trainees are taught how
to deploy rafts and engage with rescue vehicles.
For
many years, astronauts went through the entire ordeal in the Gulf of Mexico,
but the course was recently been moved into an indoor pool at a military
station in Pensacola, Florida [source: U.S. Air Force].
As
for Massimino, he passed his swimming and water survival tests with flying
colors. And poetically enough, the astronaut took one of Michael Phelps' swim
caps into orbit on his last space flight [source: Discovery].
8 Astronauts Train in Arizona Crater Field
You don't need a telescope to know that the moon is
littered with craters. A few of the biggest are sometimes visible to the naked,
Earth-bound eye [source: King].
Altogether,
our planet's natural satellite has thousands of these depressions.
So,
after the Apollo program was founded in 1961, NASA decided to get its
astronauts used to crater-laden terrain. But how?
While
meteorite impact craters are a dime a dozen on the moon, they're few and far
between here on Earth [source: NASA].
Fortunately,
the agency had a good-sized crater right in its own backyard.
Around
50,000 years ago, a meteorite smacked into what's now northern Arizona. The
result was one gigantic hole in the ground with a depth of 570 feet (173.7
meters) and a width of 4,100 feet (1.25 kilometers).
Simply
known as "Meteor Crater," the indentation's been of great use to
NASA. During the Apollo era, future astronauts conducted mapping and surveying
drills in and around the crater. It's still a field trip destination for NASA
trainees today [source: Davis].
For
would-be moonwalkers, isolated craters are great places to carry out some
exercises. But a whole field of them would be even better.
To
that end, in 1963, NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey mapped out a section of
the moon’s surface.
Then
they used dynamite - lots and lots of dynamite - to make a few hundred replica
craters in a dry expanse near Flagstaff, Arizona.
When
the site (known as "Cinder Lake") was all prepared, Apollo astronauts
got to test-drive rovers across the terrain. Soil sampling drills were also
carried out there [source: Northern Arizona
University].
7 ISS Astronauts Must Learn Russian
Right now, the only way to get up to the Internationsl
Space Station (ISS) is by hitching a ride on a Russian ship.
The
Soyuz line of spacecrafts was originally created for the Soviet lunar program
in the early 1960s. Since then, Soyuz ships have carried out over 1,500
launches.
The
vehicles include a capsule where the astronauts sit atop a set of detachable
rocket boosters.
Modern
Soyuz crafts blast off from a cosmodrome (i.e.: "space port") located
in Kazakhstan [source: NASA].
The
ISS uses Soyuz ships to ferry over supplies and transport its astronauts to and
from Earth. No other vehicles are currently being employed to make such manned
missions.
In
other words, anyone who wants to visit the ISS had better brush up on their
Russian [source: McKie].
All
ISS astronauts, regardless of national origin, are now required to study the
language. And we're not just talking about basic greetings here.
Astronauts
need to understand a lot of technical jargon in the Russian tongue. For some of
them, it's a daunting challenge.
European
Space Agency astronaut and ISS crew member Tim Peake has gone on the
record as saying that learning Russian was the toughest aspect of his training [source: Knapton].
Today
NASA puts its future space travelers through intensive language tutoring. In
every American astronaut's schedule, a large amount of time is set aside for
one-on-one meetings with Russian teachers.
And
like foreign exchange students, some of the NASA trainees are sent to live with
host families in Moscow for a few weeks [source: Howell].
6 Trainees Spend a Lot of Time Underwater
Near the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is a
gigantic indoor pool. This thing measures 40 feet (12.1 meters) deep, 202 feet
(61.5 meters) long and 102 feet (31 meters) wide.
At
that size, it's bigger than an Olympic swimming pool. The water is kept at a
balmy temperature between 82 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit (27 to 30 degrees
Celsius) and recycled daily [source: NASA].
Here,
astronauts can get themselves accustomed to the sense of weightlessness they'll
experience in outer space.
The
pool is officially known as the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory — or NBL for short.
On training days, astronauts (who get scuba certified early on) are zipped
into their space suits and lowered into the water.
Under
the surface, each trainee is escorted by two safety divers and taken to various
corners of the pool [source: Terdiman].
NASA
has full-sized replicas of a Soyuz spacecraft, a portion of the ISS, and other
pieces of equipment. These can be dropped into the pool for hands-on training
purposes.
Submerged
astronauts go through docking drills, ship-repairing exercises and other
activities that simulate the jobs they'll need to do during space walks.
Suffice
it to say that aspiring space travelers get to know the pool quite well. It's
now common practice for an astronaut to spend six to eight hours in the NBL for
every one hour he or she will get to spend on a spacewalk [source: Terdiman].
And
in case you were wondering, the NBL isn't the only training pool of its kind.
Similar
facilities are maintained by the Chinese, Japanese, Russian and European space
programs. There's also a neutral buoyancy pool at the University of Maryland [source: University of Maryland].
5 They May Ride on a Microgravity 'Vomit Comet'
There's more than one way to make a person feel
weightless.
You
can lower future astronauts into one of the Neutral Buoyancy Pools we just
mentioned, or you give them a ride on a reduced-gravity air flight.
In
1959, NASA began working with the U.S. Air Force to modify ex-military planes
so they could be used to train America's original class of astronauts (and test
out space equipment). Thus began the saga of the lovingly nicknamed "Vomit
Comets" [source: NASA].
With
the right aircraft, it is possible to carry out flights that (briefly)
subjected their riders to low-gravity conditions. To do this, a wide plane
with padded walls and a roomy interior was required.
For
decades, NASA used KC-135 aircraft for this purpose. Passengers and trainees
were loaded into the plane and then the pilots flew it in a wave-like
("parabolic") motion.
That
sent the plane through a series of upward climbs and rapid descents. When the
trajectory was just right, people inside the aircraft would experience
near-weightlessness for about 20 to 25 seconds on the downward falls [source: NASA].
As
you can imagine, the experience made a lot of people nauseous.
Estimates
vary, but according to one article NASA ran in 2004, "about one in three
first-time fliers" barfed on these rides. That's why astronauts
traditionally called the planes "Vomit Comets."
Though
NASA told us that its astronauts-in-training are no longer required to take
microgravity flights, the astronaut candidate class of 2017 did get to
experience one of these trips aboard a different specialized plane.
The
trip was made possible by a collaboration between NASA, the Canadian Space
Agency (CSA) and Canada's National Research Council.
4 Candidates Undergo Toilet Training
One of the most popular questions former International
Space Station crew member Tim Peake gets asked is, "How do you go to the bathroom in space?"
The
short answer is "carefully." And it's a good idea to practice your
form [source: Peake].
Because
there's no gravity, extraterrestrial plumbing relies on vacuum suction.
Nobody
wants free-floating human waste, so the two toilets onboard the ISS are
designed to actively suck down urine and feces. (Think high-tech vacuum
cleaner.)
These
commodes have long hoses affixed next to the seats where astronauts go No. 1.
(Two interchangeable funnels are available for the crew members to use - one
for males, the other for females.)
After
selecting the appropriate funnel, they attach it to the hose and then flip a
switch to activate an internal fan that pulls their urine into a storage
container [source: Izadi].
So
what's the deal with pooping on these potties? It comes down to the same
basic idea.
Space
travelers have to go into a tiny vacuum opening that's just 4 inches (10.16
centimeters) across.
Most
of us in the developed world have gotten used to toilet bowls that are at least
three times wider. Aiming poo into such a narrow hole takes serious skill [source: Rowan].
For
a time, two replicas of these old ISS toilets were on-site at the Johnson Space
Center.
The
first was called the positional trainer. It wasn't functional, but it did have
the exact dimensions of the genuine ISS potty.
Inside
the bowl, there was a camera that hooked up to a TV monitor facing the seat.
Astronauts used that to check their aim while ... ahem, "aligning"
themselves.
Once
a trainee got the hang of it, he or she would graduate onto the newer ISS
replica toilet, which actually flushes [source: Rowan].
While
these particular space johns are no longer in service - the newer toilets are
part of wastewater system that recycles astronaut urine back into drinkable
water - they still rely on suctions and vacuum, so astronauts still have to
practice up on going potty.
3 Survival Skills Are Tested
In space, there's no shortage of hazardous situations.
From
micrometeorites to equipment snafus, astronauts must be ready to deal with all
kinds of threats in low-Earth orbit. And then there are the return trips.
Space
agencies take great pains to ensure that their crews make it back home safely.
Still, there's always a chance that something could go wrong.
What
happens if a returning vessel is blown off-course and lands in dangerous
territory?
It's
for this very reason that space agencies around the world put their astronauts
through wilderness survival training.
Back
in the Apollo era, NASA's lunar program candidates were regularly tested out in
the jungles of Panama.
The
men would attend survivalist lectures and then test their new skills at some
remote location. (Buzz Aldrin remembers getting advice on how to hunt iguanas) [source: Wagener].
More
recent classes of NASA astronauts have spent this phase of the training process
in rural Maine.
Guided
by survival specialists from the U.S. armed forces, today's astronaut
candidates go through plane crash drills, practice first aid and get
acquainted with the emergency supply kits they'll have in space [source: Metcalf-Lindenberger].
Other
astronaut hopefuls from various space programs around the world have been made
to rough it in places like Nevada's sweltering deserts or Russia's frigid
forests.
Plus,
the European Space Agency will sometimes leave its trainees adrift in the
Mediterranean Sea [source: McKinnon].
2 Astronauts
Use Giant Air Hockey Tables
At first, moving heavy equipment in outer space might
seem like an easy chore.
When
gravity is low, it becomes possible for astronauts to shove huge objects around
with their fingertips. But once a body's in motion, it tends to stay in motion
— unless an outside force acts upon it.
Let's
say that one of the large, metallic chairs on your space station has come unhinged
and now it's careening through the vessel. You'll need a skilled hand to slow
down and redirect the thing.
That's
where air-bearing floors come in handy. As it happens, astronaut trainees have
them to practice on at the good old Johnson Space Center.
Floors
like this are metallic, room-sized, super-smooth and extremely well-polished.
They also need to be level.
On
that score, the one at NASA definitely fits the bill: It's kept level to within
0.003 inches (0.007 centimeters) per foot (0.3 meters) [source: NASA].
So,
what does one do with an air-bearing floor? Well, NASA affixes test pads
to the bottoms of assorted objects.
These
create an air cushion between those objects and the floor itself. To paraphrase
NASA's official website, that effectively transforms the floor into a
room-sized air hockey table [source: NASA].
Astronaut
candidates use the surface to prepare themselves for hauling large items
through space.
It
also gives them the opportunity to test out their Manned Maneuvering Units
(MMUs), which are personal transportation accessories that function a bit like
jet packs [source: Shayler].
But
why should NASA's people have all the fun? The European Space Agency's Orbital
Robotics Lab has its own air-bearing floor as well [source: Industrial Equipment News].
1 They Wait
Several Years for a Trip to Space
With a combination of luck, skill and elbow grease,
trainees that pass the rigorous program are selected as NASA astronaut
candidates and then go on to graduate from the basic training process.
OK,
so what happens then? Well, most won't actually be eligible to go up into space
until the administration assigns them to their first mission. Then, they have
to complete even more specialized training to prepare themselves for the
journey. A rookie space traveler will generally embark upon his or her maiden
voyage with a couple of veteran astronauts who double as his or her advisers [source: NASA].
Recent graduates of the basic training process may not receive
their first mission assignment for a couple of years.
During
this so-called pre-assignment phase, most astronauts perform Earth-bound jobs
like collaborating with their space program's engineers or serving as foreign
liaisons.
Dottie
Metcalf-Lindenburger finished her general NASA training in 2006 but didn't
venture into Earth's orbit until 2010.
For
those now going through a pre-assignment period, she recommends finding time to
refresh your astronaut skill set [source: Metcalf-Lindenburger].
Over
at the ESA, Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang spent 14 years in limbo before
he was finally put on his first mission.
On
the other hand, Luca Parmitano of Italy managed to secure an assignment from
the agency before he'd even finished basic training [source: Peake].
Author's Note: 10 Surprising Facts About Astronaut Training
I will never forget the story my mother told me about
the Apollo 11 landing.
In
the summer of 1969, she was 9 years old and had been enrolled in a summer camp
(I think it was somewhere in upstate New York).
For
the sake of natural serenity, the staff prohibited television sets. But that
ban was lifted on the night of July 20, 1969.
Sitting
in a crowded mess hall, the campers watched Neil Armstrong's "one small
step" through a black-and-white TV screen. Human progress was being made
in real time.
My mom remembers walking back to her cabin after the
broadcast. She also remembers looking up at the moon in a starry, cloudless sky
and thinking "Wow, there are people
up there."
That's
why astronauts have the most coveted careers in the world. And that's why I
wanted to write this article.
Mark Mancini
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Mark Mancini is a freelance writer currently based in Texas.
Over the years, he’s covered every subject from classic horror movies to Abe
Lincoln’s favorite jokes. He is particularly fond of paleontology and has been
reporting on new developments in this field since 2013. When Mark’s not at his
writing desk, you can usually find him on stage somewhere because he loves to
get involved with community theatre. And if you ever feel like trading puns for
a few hours, he’s your guy.
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