This type of astronaut works closely with the pilot astronaut and the commander of the crew. This type of astronaut is responsible for coordinating the shuttle operations, which includes planning the crew activity. This type of astronaut is also in charge of monitoring the flight's consumables, which includes: fuel, water, food and many other necessities on a space travel mission. Mission specialist astronauts conduct on-board experiments and payload activities. To be a qualified mission specialist astronaut, there are specific physical and academic goals to be met. Academically, all candidates must have a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. They also have to have at least 3 years of related and progressively responsible professional experience.
The physical qualifications for a mission specialist astronaut are the same as those for pilot astronauts, except that uncorrected (without glasses or another visual aid) visual accuracy can be as high as 20/100 and correctable (with glasses or another visual aid) should be 20/20. A candidate for this type of astronaut must be of a height that can range from five feet to six feet four inches tall. One of the most important goals that must be met is to have a detailed knowledge of Shuttle systems.