Every body begins in elementary school.  First you have to get the basics then build up.  You cannot do anything without math and science. You also need to be able to work in a team and be able to grasp on to current events.  Some kids may be lacking motivation, but that is ok.  Most kids are at a young age.  When a student gets to high school, it is recommended that they get the best possible grades on the SAT or ACT. 

You need to make a decision on what you want to study in college.  The requirement for an astronaut is a bachelor’s degree from an accredited intuition.  Three years of related increasingly responsible professional experience must follow that degree.  It may be a couple of years before you get selected.  In the mean time you will have to support your self.  NASA funds 51 colleges and universities through its space grant consortia.  Most of the schools offer degrees to in technical fields, math and science. 

Once the student is qualified in paper , it is time now time to send in US Government Application Form 171 to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  There it will be looked at and ranked according to experience and expertise.  Much like other application processes, aspiring astronauts compete with an average of 4,014 other applicants for an average on 20 slots that open up every two years.

These applications go through another round of ranking and rating by more stringent requirements in order to estimate further applicants.  From an average of 4,014 applicants, averages of 118 are asked to come to the JSC and under go one week of interviews and medical examinations and orientation. 

The Astronaut Selection Board on alert for people who have done very well in an industrial field.  An applicant should make sure that they have excellent recommendations, especially from undergraduate and graduate school professors that can attest to your problem solving abilities, communication skills with others and your ability to work civil in a team. 

The ASB interviews each person and assigns them a rating based on: Experience and potential motivation, ability to function as a member of a team, communicative abilities, and   adaptability.  Some of applicants do not possess the required interpersonal skills and other requisite characteristics for the position and are rejected solely on that basis. 

A significant number of applicants do not meet medical standers and still others withdraw after gaining complete understanding of the job.  Based on information collected during this investigation, ASB will choose its final candidates and pass that recommendation on the NASA Administrator who will make the final pick.  Once selected, candidates begin a rigorous training program.

You get paid $70,000 - $120,000 per year bracket.  You are not paid by the mile traveled. 

 The work is sometimes long and difficult and it is not unusual for a candidate to arrive at work at 7:30 a.m. and not return home till after 11:00 p.m.  Most people would consider being an astronaut with a high-risk occupation and with many astronauts going home to a spouse, children, or both it would be reasonable to think that the fear and anxiety of those risk would constantly be on their minds. 

If the pilot/commander position is the goal then the applicant must also be prepared to jog in at least 1,000 hours of flight time in command of a jet air craft prior to consideration.  Most of the of the current and former  pilot/commander positions have been filled historically by men who have served or are currently active in the United States Armed Forces.  There are only a few exceptions.  During training all crew members train aboard a jet.  The controls are identical to that of the space shuttle and therefore, the jet can be used as a flight simulator either on the ground or in an actual flight.