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Launch & Re-entry > Astronaut Training |
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The space environment is naturally unsafe and perilous for humans. An emergency could occur at any time. Because of this danger, people who live and work in space must be trained to handle all foreseeable emergencies. They must also be thoroughly knowledgeale of the mission and the tasks that they have to do.
Analysis
Because the astronaut training program is physically and mentally demanding, an astronaut candidate must fulfill many requirements in order to apply to NASA or another space agency. Astronaut candidates must be physically fit and have a good education. Successful astronaut candidates train for a year or more before becoming regular astronauts. There are two kinds of astronauts: pilots and mission specialists.
Pilot astronauts serve as commanders or pilots of missions. Commanders and pilots are responsible for the crew and mission success. They control and operate the spacecraft. Requirements for pilots at NASA include being a US citizen and having flown at least 1000 flight hours in jet aircraft, preferably as a test pilot. An applicant must also have at least 20/50 vision, have less than 140 over 90 blood pressure, and be from 64 to 76 inches tall. A bachelor's degree in math, science, or engineering is required.
Mission specialists are the experts on a particular mission. They are responsible for coordinating crew activity, monitoring resources, and conducting experiments. Mission specialists have to have a detailed knowledge of the spacecraft and all of the on-board experiments. Physical requirements for mission specialists at NASA include at least 20/100 vision and a height of 60 to 76 inches. A bachelor's degree in math, science, or engineering is required, plus 3 years of professional experience.
Astronaut training has become more and more complicated through the years as space flight has gotten more complex and demanding. Modern astronauts are taught a variety of technology and safety courses, as well as learning to cope with space through simulated weightless environments. Classes taken by candidates include mathematics, meteorology, navigation, oceanography, orbital dynamics, astronomy, physics, and material processing. They also train in scuba diving, space suits, parachute jumping, and land and sea survival training.
An airplane used by NASA to simulate weightless environments, the "Vomit Comet", takes candidate astronauts into a 20-second long free-fall. The astronauts become acclimated to weightlessness and sudden changes in the force of gravity. They can also learn how to function in weightlessness in a large "neutral buoyancy" tank of water in which there are full-scale models of the space shuttle and international space station. Crews train in centrifuges and in advanced computer simulators that simulate every stage of a mission, from before launch to after landing.
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