how long do you have to study / train to become astronaut ? why?

Answer 1

STEP 1: Know that you must be between 5 feet 4 inches and 6 feet 4 inches tall to be a pilot and between 4 feet 10 1 /2 inches and 6 feet 4 inches to be a mission specialist. You also need to be in top physical condition, and have great stamina.
STEP 2: Maintain an excellent academic record in your undergraduate and graduate studies. Many astronauts have doctoral degrees.
STEP 3: Choose a scientific field for your bachelor's degree that you can use if you become an astronaut. Possibilities include medicine, biology, chemistry, physics, aerospace engineering and mathematics.
STEP 4: Make certain you have at least three years' work experience in your field before applying as a mission specialist. An acceptable substitution might be a two-year graduate degree with one year of experience.
STEP 5: Have at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft, preferably with flight-test experience, if you wish to be a mission pilot.
STEP 6: Send for an application package (see Tips for the address). You'll have to pass the strict NASA physical as a basic qualification.
STEP 7: Realize that if you're accepted as an astronaut candidate, you're committing yourself to a training period of one to two years in Houston without a guarantee that you'll ever go into space. Training will be intense and often in low-gravity conditions. It will include land and sea survival training and scuba diving.
STEP 8: Prepare to remain with NASA for at least five years if you pass the training period and are accepted as an astronaut.

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