hi.......................?

Question

i am good at math, physics and chemistry.
i am 13.
what all do i have to go through to become a cosmonaut (astronaut), i mean what all course do i have to complete.

Answer 1

At 13 you are probably still a little bit too young to make up your mind about astronaut training. There will be plenty of time for that.

The first question is, do you have a real interest in science and engineering? Are you ready to become a scientist or an engineer even if you don't get to fly?

If the answer is yes, I would do everything I could to learn as much about science and/or engineering as I can. As soon as I can.

This means you should contact the science and math teachers in your school and ask them to help you to advance to university level as soon as possible. I am not kidding. If you are really good and they help you a bit, you can get there in no time. It's not that hard!

Ask your teachers to give you professional textbooks (they have some at home or can show you the real stuff in the library). Try to find a teacher who is willing to spend time with you outside of school. Participate in extracurricular work (astronomy club might be fun), participate in the science fair projects.

Listen to real university level science classes and talks:

http://webcast.berkeley.edu/course_feeds.php

Boy, do I wish I had had access to these things as a kid!

OK... if all of this is going to be fun for you and you turn out to be good at it, look into getting the best science education you can afford. Stanford, Harvard, MIT, the full works!

Write a thesis on astrobiology or planetary geology. If you are thirteen now, you might be standing on Mars one day. That is where you are going. Forget about Earth orbit like the current generation of astronauts. You want to have a science background that will allow you to do real science work on another planet.

And first of all: HAVE FUN!

OK? Have fun with science or engineering. That is the main thing. Everything else will fall in place for you.

Good luck! I wish you to be one of the first people to set foot on Mars or to see Jupiter or Saturn with your own eyes in the window of your spacecraft!

Answer 2

I don't know about cosmonauts but NASA's minimum educational requirement for astronauts is either degree in engineering or science from an accredited university or a medical degree.

However, those are only MINIMAL qualifications. Most astronauts have multiple degrees in science and engineering, many have PhD.

You also have to be in really good shape so consider taking up running or some other fitness program. Being competative at sports is also good.

One astronaut (sorry, don't remember who) once said that good training for a crew member on the International Space Station is fixing your own airplane and I know that Tracy Caldwell, who was on the last Space Shuttle mission, does her own home repair.

Finally, it's good to have extensive flying experience, the more the better. Being a pilot shows that you can make the right decision under pressure. There are a lot of jobs in the military that would do the same so you should think about joining up. (Especially the US marines - Semper Fi!)

Answer 3

There really aren't any 'preferred' courses. There have been astronauts from all kinds of different disciplines (engineering, physics, chemistry, etc.). If you want to be a member of the flight crew, ry to get into the Air Force Acadamy and become a military pilot. Then apply for astronaut training from there.

Doug

Answer 4

a good education, raf is possibly the way forward