How to Become an Astronaut

Making the Initial Cut

Be a citizen of a country with a space agency capable of sending humans to space. Even if your country does have a space agency, you may be relegated to groundwork and not navigating the skies like you'd prefer. While plenty of countries are getting into the space race in one form or another, Russia, China, EU and the USA are the front runners. The ESA (European Space Agency) collaborates with other agencies to send its astronauts aboard their rockets. Currently, the ESA is made up of twenty countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. NASA has had, in the past, astronauts from countries with which they have an international agreement. Namely, Canada, Japan, Russia, and Brazil. For the record, each of these countries does have a space agency.

Be the right age. If you're fresh out of recess or fresh out of the senior citizen's discount buffet, you're not astronaut material. The ESA is looking for candidates who are between 27 and 37 years old. NASA is a bit less stringent; there are no age restrictions, but past astronauts have fallen between the ages of 26 and 46. The average age is 34.

Be the right height. Fingers crossed for that growth spurt! The ESA accepts candidates who are between 153 and 190 centimeters (that's 5' to 6'2 1/2" for the non-metric folk). Not too tough, eh? As for NASA, they're looking for men and women between 5'2" and 6'3" (157 to 190.5 cm). Six of one, half a dozen of another, really.

Pass the physical with flying colors. In order to become an astronaut for NASA, your near and far vision must be correctable to 20/20 in each eye. Yep, getting LASIK is okay. As for your physical health, your blood pressure must not be above 140/90 when in a sitting position. Note that if you make it past the first rounds of testing, addition visual screening will be performed. To pass this round, your distant vision refractive error must be "between +5.50 and -5.50 diopters in any meridian" if you do not have a piloting background and "between +2.50 and -4.00 diopters in any meridian" if you do have a piloting background. Also notable is the fact that you may not have an astigmatism that requires more than 3.00 diopters of cylinder correction if you're without a piloting background (no more than 2.00 diopters of cylinder correction if you do have one) or an anisometropia larger than 3.5 diopters (2.5 if you have a piloting background). The ESA has similar requirements. They also stress the need to be psychologically sound. After all, other people are going to be locked in a small room with you for months on end. If you're aggressive, close-minded, or stubborn, you may not be deemed fit for travel.

Speak English. It's not called the International Space Station for nothin'. Fact of the matter is, most people speak it, and you should, too if you plan on working with people of practically every nationality. Speaking Russian is a helpful tool, too. Second to English, there is a heavy Russian influence when it comes to space relations. Both NASA and the ESA highly value candidates that are fluent in both languages.

Learn how to swim and swim well. Because of that pesky phenomenon known as gravity, day-to-day air living isn't great for simulating the likes of the universe. Some of your training will be done underwater. If you can't swim, you probably won't make the cut. NASA will put you through military water survival training and make sure you can tread water for 10 minutes in addition to swimming 75 meters (246.1 ft) in a flight suit and being SCUBA-qualified. So sign up for a pass at your local pool now.

Succeeding Academically

Get excellent grades in high school. Get excellent grades in every subject. All of them. Every single one. Astronauts are a smart breed. Math and science are most important, but English, history, and foreign relations have their places, too. It's best to be as well-rounded as possible. Not only for you, but also because the competition will be fierce. You'll be going up against the cream of the crop. Alright, so you don't have the power to stop time. Since you're not a machine, concentrate on math and science -- you'll be dealing with those for at least the next decade of your career training.

Be a stellar student at a good university. A bachelor's degree in math, physics, engineering, or science from a reputable (accredited) school is required. Don't get distracted by college social life — your grades should be your number one concern. Look into the ROTC programs, especially those of the Air Force and Navy at your college of choice. Your ultimate goal in the military is to be a test pilot because they have the most experience flying experimental aircraft.

Complete ≥ 3 years of experience work. This can be in the form of professional experience or in the form of a degree. Should you choose to get a degree, know that a master's counts as 1 year of experience and a PhD as 3, regardless of how long it takes you to complete these degrees. If you have experience in piloting, you must complete at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. Be sure you also have flight test experience. Should you choose to simply get professional experience, get a job related to something an astronaut would have to do. Examples include navigation, piloting, working with computers, chemistry/biology, or commanding a ship. You should also note that teaching is an important part of being an astronaut, and thus teachers (both college and K-12) are encouraged to apply.

Making It Professionally

Consider joining the military. While military personnel are by no means considered above regular civilians, it is a means to an end. In the military, you'll get training experience (both physical and mental) and have the opportunity to work with aircraft. Bonus and bonus. NASA will give military personnel contracted appointments. They apply and work through a military program that regular citizens do not.

Apply for the job. Note that civilians of the US must submit an application through www.usajobs.gov, and all active duty military personnel must submit an application to their respective service (in addition to the website application). The last round of hiring ESA did for astronauts was in 2009. If you'd like to see how you would've fared, tests are available online. As for NASA, they had their latest round training in Houston as of June 2013. Keep an ear to the ground for the next hiring round!

Be able to complete training. For NASA, training will take place in Texas and will last about 2 years. The ESA will put you through a similar program in Cologne, Germany for 16 months. You'll be working underwater and in simulators in addition to studying space relations and the science behind the technology. There's a heavy emphasis on human mechanics, engineering, and astronomy as well. Both programs will also immerse you in the Russian language. As for NASA, civilians who complete the training must remain a NASA employee for 5 years before becoming an astronaut. Military personal will be assigned to a specific NASA duty.