How to Become an Astronaut
The word astronaut is derived from the Greek words astron and nautes. It means "star sailor". In the year 1959 there were only seven astronauts in the whole country. Most of them were in the U.S. Armed Forces. Forty eight years later much has changed. Nowadays, the Shuttle crews consist of American citizens from every race, creed color and gender. NASA's informs us that as of May 1993, there were 180 Caucasian men, and 21 women, 6 African American men and one woman, and two Asian American men in the astronaut corp.
Many people apply to be an astronaut. NASA chooses astronauts from a diverse pool of applicants from all over the world. Every two years 100 men and women are chosen for an intensive astronaut training program. A master or a doctoral degree is one of NASA requirements, and a college degree from an accredited institution is the minimum requirement. An astronaut applicant must be proficient in his/her oral and written skills, know history and must be bilingual (Russian preferably). Astronauts get paid like other career professionals. The government has a salary scale called the GS scale. New astronauts receive U.S. $45,000.00 per year. Experienced astronauts get U.S. $52,000 to $80,000 per year. In addition they received the following benefits: health insurance, paid vacation, and retirement. Astronauts work from the classroom to the spacecraft. They work from 60 to 70 hours a week on normal days, but about 100 or more hours on spaceflights. Astronauts who are found to be claustrophobic will not be able to continue with the program.
Astronauts go through extensively rigorous training before a mission or a spaceflight. They are trained how to perform jobs in a space environment. The condition of weightlessness is practiced by scuba training or by using a special harness to get used to free floating. Astronauts are trained how to work under stress and in emergency situations. They go through simulators that move them in all directions except up and down. Moonwalk is simulated. They are told to wear a bulky spacesuit for the Moon. Astronauts practice how to hop which is the best way to move on the Moon's surface. The moonwalker suspended chair helps astronauts practice walking forward in small steps. A multi-axis wheel that looks like an astronaut's cage simulates the increase of gravitational forces which they experience by being spun in a centrifuge machine.
The astronauts have to be prepared for weightlessness. The simulator called Five Degrees of Freedom (FDF) allows astronauts to move in all directions except moving up and down. The astronauts experience 20-30 seconds of weightlessness. Sometimes they practice weightlessness on a KC-135 jet aircraft. This jet dives from 10,000 meters (35,000 feet) to 7,315 meters (24,000 feet). The weightlessness experience takes only a brief time but it is repeated many times a day. Astronauts who are selected to be pilots train for the extravehicular activity (EVA). They are trained in a huge water tank. This simulates weightlessness and the sensation of gravity is reduced. Only successfully trained astronauts get assigned to a spaceflight.
Spacesuit
An astronaut for protection wears a space suit. It protects the astronaut from the extreme heat or extreme cold. The temperature outside the spacecraft is 250 F in direct Sun and a freezing -250 F in shade. Spacesuits must be fail- safe, tough, durable and made up of high technology materials, and they must be flexible so that the astronauts can move about freely in weightlessness. The astronaut wears an inner head gear called the "Snoopy Cap". This is where the communication gear is attached. An astronaut's visor is Sun proof. It reflects the intense light from the Sun. The drinking bag is found at the bottom of the helmet. Lights are on the side. They enable an astronaut to see when they are on the dark side of the Earth. The astronaut's suit protects him/her also from micro-meteoroids. The suit contains a survival kit good for eight hours with oxygen, batteries, and food. The upper part of the astronaut's suit is made of a fiberglass shell. Inside the suit is a device used for passing water from the body. It is called a urine connection device. There is a urine connection device and they have a special adult diaper used during space travel. The lower part of the astronaut's spacesuit is like a layered cake. It consists of Dacron-polyester, nylon, aluminized Mylar and Ortho fabric. Also, Kevlar is an excellent material that is woven in it. Another material that goes with the spacesuit is the spandex mesh. There is a liquid cooling garment under the suit.
How Astronauts Live in Space
Astronauts live in space just like the way they live on Earth. They breathe, eat, drink, sleep, maintain cleanliness, stay fit and healthy, and use the toilet. Weightlessness is the great difference. They do these activities differently. Astronauts use oxygen to breathe. That is why they have a fresh supply of oxygen circulating through the spacecraft. When the astronauts breathe, water vapor is collected. The water vapor is recycled and used in space experiments as well as for drinking. In space travel astronauts do not flush the toilet. Air is used to suck body wastes.
Astronauts eat three meals a day. Food is prepared for the astronauts before going to space. They eat food that is similar to Earth food. An oven is provided in the spacecraft. No refrigeration is needed for astronaut's food. Astronauts use utensils to eat their food and they have a tiny pair of scissors to cut their food packets. Their food is preserved to prevent bacteria from growing. They eat granola bars and nuts. Other foods are dehydrated such as macaroni and cheese, and eggs. Water is added to soften up their food. Fruits, yogurts and some meats are treated too. Apricots and peaches are partially dehydrated. Radiation is used to kill the bacteria from steak and other meats. Astronauts have to eat a lot of food rich in calcium to minimize bone loss. Dangerous food like bread crumbs are not included in astronauts' diet because they could get sick from breathing the bread crumbs floating around their cabin. Also, there are no hot meals because if the floating hot food touches an astronaut, it could burn him/her. Ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise are available for astronauts. Salt and pepper are liquefied to prevent them from floating away because, like the bread crumbs, they could be dangerous. Food packages are disposed in a trash compactor inside the spacecraft. High technology in food packing prevents food from floating away, is easy to use, and is designed flexibly so that it can be squeezed.
Astronauts have to sleep, too. They can sleep on their seats, in sleeping bags, on bunks, or by attaching themselves to the orbiter wall. Weightlessness causes them to sleep vertically or horizontally comfortably. When astronauts sleep on their sleeping bags, they zip up themselves leaving their arms outside. They fasten themselves with straps on their waists. Reading lights are available at each compartment. There are also side panels that can be shut for privacy. When astronauts want to muffle the noise and reduce cabin lights, they use eyeshades and earmuffs. However, one or two of the crew members wear communication gear at all times for ground communication.
When astronauts finish their work at the end of the day, there are many activities for them to do. Some use their laptops to write e-mails and keep in touch with families. They also eat snack and drink soda which are in sealed packs or tubes. Soda cans have mouthpieces that allow the drink to flow out freely. Astronauts listen to music on CDs at low volume because the other astronauts are still working. They like taking pictures and videos to record their space flight. Astronauts do not do laundry or wash their hair on short space trips. Dirty clothes are bagged and brought home. Shampoo wipes are used to clean hair.
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