Aiming For The Stars: How To Become An Astronaut
The rocket breaks away the atmosphere of the earth.
The sound and the vibrations almost knock you out.
There is chaos everywhere. You close your eyes to let the moment pass. Suddenly, a calmness, a silence.
You look up and all see the earth looking at you.
All you can see is darkness and that little planet we call home.
If you are already getting goosebumps by imagining this scene, then think about how it would feel when you were in that spaceship.
Becoming an astronaut is not a walk in the park.
It requires a lot of dedication, training, and hard work to reach that level. It also requires a lot of skill set, physical and mental capacity.
But, once you do become an astronaut and operate that spaceship, you will know no greater joy.
But how to become an astronaut? To help you launch your dreams of becoming an astronaut, we have listed a step by step guide.
Education
If you have already set your mind to reach the stars, then you need to start planning right after you pass your 10th grade.
To become an astronaut in India you need to choose Physics, Chemistry, and Maths as your core subjects in 12th.
This is quite essential, as these subjects will help you on your path to become an astronaut.
Once you have passed your 12th board you need to take up a Bachelors's degree. A bachelor's degree is mandatory to become an astronaut in India.
You cannot become one right after your 12th.
You can do a degree in Physics, Chemistry, Aerospace Engineering, Maths and Biology.
You can also do a degree in Astrophysics.
Once you graduate, you can either opt to do a post-graduation degree or you can directly apply to ISRO or NASA.
You can become an astronaut in NASA from India. NASA holds a recruitment exam, which you can give post your graduation.
If you wish to join ISRO then you need to clear JEE which is held by IITs.
However, if you are looking to be a mission specialist, then you need three years of work experience that showcase your capabilities.
To become an astronaut who goes up to space, you need to have flying experience. You need to first learn how to fly aircraft, and follow that route of study and work.
Flight Engineers
You can choose which kind of astronaut you wish to be depending on your skillset and interest. If you are someone who likes to fly into space and want to stare at the wonders of the dark black space, then you can become a Flight Engineer.
Flight Engineers were also known as pilot astronauts or commanders.
As a flight engineer, you will be responsible for the whole crew, for the space shuttle, the safety of the flight and its crew, and the success of the mission.
You also need to fly the shuttle and help it launch into space.
You will have to assist the commander who is operating the vehicle while also assisting in deployment and making sure all the other systems are in place.
Astronaut Researchers
In case you want to have more of a stressful and high adrenaline desk job, then head off to become an astronaut researcher or mission specialist.
As mission specialists, you will have to coordinate the operations, look over the experiments, plan activities with the crew and look into payload operations.
You need to know the mission requirements and objectives.
You also need to assist in scientific experiments.
Before you become an astronaut, you need to be ready for long work hours in a space shuttle-like atmosphere.
In your training, you will have to arrive as early as 7:30 am, and you won’t be home before 11:00 pm.
The training can get intensive and hard. You will find yourself swimming three times a day in a spacesuit and sneakers!
Other Requirements
Flight Engineers:
Except for your bachelor degrees, there are other requirements that you need to fulfil.
To become a Pilot Astronaut, you need to have at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in an aircraft.
If you have flight experience then your chances of becoming an astronaut are high.
ISRO also has certain physical requirements that you need to pass.
You have to go through a proper medical check-up and have great fitness levels. You need to have a 20/20 vision in each eye.
Your blood pressure shouldn’t exceed 140/90.
Your height should be between 64 to 76 inches.
Mission Specialists:
Apart from a Bachelors degree and before becoming an Astronaut Researcher you need to have three years of experience.
You can also opt for the study route and get a: master’s degree, and a doctoral degree.
If you do that, then you might not need three years of work experience.
The physical and medical requirements that you need to pass are the same as those that you need to pass as a Pilot Astronaut.
Your height should be between 58.5 to 76 inches.
Joining ISRO
If you wish to join ISRO and fly that tri coloured flag high in space, then you must be an Indian citizen and national. ISRO also prefers Indian Air Force Pilots for their manned space missions.
So, if you are dreaming to become an astronaut in ISRO, then consider joining the Air Force first. ISRO is yet to open its manned missions to those who are not Air Force Pilots.
However, there are chances that they will open it up to others shortly, who is not from the Indian Air Force.
You also need to have certain personality traits to become a great astronaut. You need to be patient, hard-working, interested in science and space.
You also need to have a good enough knowledge about technology.
You need to spend long hours, sometimes all alone on a project. You need to be bold and take risks.
And most importantly, you need to accept failure. A lot of space missions will fail even after years of hard work.
In such cases, you need to get up and back yourself rather than giving up. If you can master all of this, then you are a step closer to launching your career as an astronaut.
