|
At some point in time, you have stopped and wondered about outer space, the planets, life on other galaxies, or Astronauts, or the science of the unkown. If these topics interest you in any way, you may be interested in the field of becoming an Astronaut. I know, it is not something that you hear a lot about, or hear a lot of children saying that they want to be an Astronaut when they get older, but it is a dream for some. And it is up to you to make your dream a reality.
Difficulty Level: Hard Time Required: 20 years (A lot of time, but a job with something that you love, is really never a day of work at all!)
If you are in school now, here are the important things to remember and to do. It's a long hard voyage to become an astronaut, but today in the US over 200 men and women are training and traveling into space. Who knows - in 10 or 20 years, you could be one of them! In that time, we'll be working along with many other countries to build an international space station, and maybe from there go on to the Moon and Mars. So the need for people to become astronauts is only going to grow. But you do need the proper preparation. Work hard in school and get good grades.
Study as much math and science as you can.
Do well on your SATs and go to a good college.
Study languages other than English - Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and French would all be useful.
Get yourself into good physical shape - you need to have good blood pressure and good eyesight to be an astronaut.
Be a good team player, and make sure that you can work well with others.
Learn to fly, and get a citizen's pilot license.
Attend a good graduate school, studying science or engineering.
When you're out of graduate school, apply to NASA. Another good tip that would help you out is to get involved in Space camps. They will teach you many different things, and you will know for sure if being an Astronaut is something that you would like to do.
NASA chooses its astronauts from an increasingly diverse pool of applicants that, "looks like America". From thousands of applications from all over the world, approximately 100 men and women are chosen for an intensive astronaut candidate training program every two years. "I cannot imagine a better career. I've done more than I could ever have imagined. I'm thankful that I've been at the right place at the right time," said Kenneth S. Reightler.
The study time involved is no more lengthy than that of any other professional career requiring graduate/post-graduate study. If becoming an astronaut is a dream, held long and steadfast, than this labor will be one of love.
As always, if you have a dream, you need to work towards living that dream. Being an Astronaut takes a lot of hard work and time, but in space, is there time? Go out there and live life to the fullest!
| 
