Astronaut Training
Alyssa F.
Intro
Many people have watched a rocket go up in the air on T.V or on a you-tube video, but many don’t know about all of the training the astronauts do to make it so we can travel space. Astronauts don’t just apply for the job and then automatically get to go up into space. Lots of work is put into this job.
Applying to be an Astronaut
Soon to be astronauts have a lot of criteria they have to go by in order to even apply to be an astronaut. For example in the Gemini 4 mission the people that applied had to be young well trained pilots. They also had to have a degree in engineering or one of the many physical sciences. This would help them be able to communicate better with the engineers and scientists involved in the project. They could not be over 6ft tall because the cockpit was a tight fit. After all of this, the people for the job would be chosen and would endure three years of intense training.
Training Intro
The astronauts in training will begin 3 years of intense training. They will spend hundreds of hours training, some astronauts say the stimulators were more hard than the real flight. They will travel to different training stations around the world for this.
Training
The newcomers must pass a one year course about the following: space technology, science, medical skills, to scuba diving, and the International Space Station(ISS). After the first year they go on to learn more about the ISS, transportation vehicles and ground control. Last they get a mission, learn teamwork, get special tasks they might have to do on their flight, learn the feeling of weightlessness, and parabolic flights. Other things they learn include the following: shuttle and space station systems, earth sciences, meteorology, space science, engineering, water survival, survival skills, and aircraft operations. They will train in simulators and in models of the spacecraft. All in all, astronauts have a lot to learn and know.
Sources
"ESA - Space for Kids - Life in Space - Astronaut Training." ESA - Space for Kids - Life in Space - Astronaut Training. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.
Green, Carl R. Training the Gemini Astronauts. Space Walk- The Astounding Gemini 4 Mission. N.p.: Enslow, 2013. 15-16. Print.
World Book Encyclopedia. Space ed. 2004. Print.
"JSC Features - NASAs Exploration Class Outwits, Outlasts First Year of Astronaut Training." JSC Features - NASAs Exploration Class Outwits, Outlasts First Year of Astronaut Training. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.