What Does It Take to Become an Astronaut?

To know what it&#x27;s really like, as opposed to what movies depict, just read the transcript of the famous Apollo 13 incident. Remember the movie version? Read what they <i>really</i> said here (<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;apollo13.spacelog.org&#x2F;page&#x2F;02:07:55:19&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;apollo13.spacelog.org&#x2F;page&#x2F;02:07:55:19&#x2F;</a>). For instance:<p><i>Okay. And we&#x27;re looking at our S—SERVICE MODULE RCS HELIUM 1. We have—B is barber poled and D is barber poled, HELIUM 2, D is barber pole, and SECONDARY PROPELLANTS, I have A and C barber pole. BMAG temperatures?</i><p>Less dramatic than in the movies. A lot more engineering and detail-oriented.

Even if you become one, you might still never fly. In interviewing for a company that contracted for NASA and knew some Astronauts, remember them saying how some have been around for 10+ years and never got to fly.

For anyone interested in this topic&#x2F;NASA, etc, and doesn&#x27;t mind using Quora, I suggest reading the answers of <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;profile&#x2F;Robert-Frost-1" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.quora.com&#x2F;profile&#x2F;Robert-Frost-1</a>. He&#x27;s a treasure trove of information and clearly passionate about the topic.

Probably a lot of luck, considering how many qualified applicants there are likely to be and how many actual positions there are.

Thanks for that share Alain. I&#x27;ve read the transcript before for a couple of Apollo missions. Good share.