<p>which University has most astronauts in its alumni? Or which university is best know for its aerospace programs?</p>
<p>MIT has the most astronauts
Purdue has the 2nd, but also has graduated crap loads more people</p>
<p>so its skewed per capita. </p>
<p>as for best programs</p>
<p>MIT, Caltech, Stanford, University of Michigan Ann harbor, Georgia tech, Air Force, and Emery something in florida</p>
<p>Princeton has the #1 Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Program in the United States according to many sources. Wait for a link to another CC thread.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.erau.edu/pr/%5B/url%5D">http://www.erau.edu/pr/</a></p>
<p>that place</p>
<p>U.S. Naval Academy also ranks quite high in number of astronauts.
To become one, I would say USAFA, USNA, ERAU, MIT, or Caltech.</p>
<p>USNA puts out quite a few. Univ. of Minnesota has two; Deke Slayton and Duane "Digger" Carey.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/04class.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/04class.html</a></p>
<p>a list of the 2004 astronaut grads. Notice how a degree in aerospace is only among a few of them. Mathematics, physics, and geology are quite common since being in space is more about science than engineering. Engineering gets you there, but all of that engineering is done on the ground. Oh and they all have at least masters degrees.</p>
<p>another pattern, each BS AE holder is from either a military place or from Japan.</p>
<p>if you want to go into space, you have to decide how you want to get there. captain of the shuttle or as a scientist? different routes depending on your abilities and interests.</p>
<p>Yes, your degree has a lot to say whether you will command/pilot the craft or be a mission specialist. Most all of the commanders/pilots we know/knew have/had advanced degrees in aeronautical engineering.</p>
<p>I am an international so being the commander or the pilot is out of question as they prefer test pilots from the Military Background.</p>
<p>Both the Navy and AF have test pilot schools that incorporate slots for foreign test pilots/engineers. On rare occasion, they do take civilians.</p>
<p>are you interested in science -- or just want to go into space? They do look for the top, top people -- so is a difficult path to follow if you are not really interested in it.</p>
<p>do some searching of tne NASA shuttle program and look at what degrees the people who are shuttle crew have and where they went to school. </p>
<p>I also don't know what the citizenship requirement is, but I would check that out -- you might have to be a US citizen to be a US astronaut.</p>
<p>You don't happen to belong to Civil Air Patrol, do you? I ask because they have a great summer program where you learn all about the space program (I was one of the adults that led the program in Colorado Springs last year). Not only does the program give you tons of information (and you get to see all the cool classified stuff) but it gives you contacts in all the areas of space command. Some of the kids had some definite career goals and it was nice for them to be able to talk with actual shuttle commanders, scientists, test pilots, etc and see how it really worked and what they did to get where they were and what they would have don't differently.</p>
<p>They do use international astronauts (French, Israeli, etc).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I agree. Looking at another random year (1998), your best bet is to come from a military academy.</p>
<p>might be a good link to read:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/%5B/url%5D">http://www.nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/</a></p>
<p>some points I noticed: </p>
<p>"Yes, you must be a U.S. citizen to apply for the program through NASA. It is not recommended that you change your citizenship solely for the purpose of being eligible for the Astronaut Candidate Program. </p>
<p>There are two types of astronauts that are not U.S. citizens--International Astronauts and Payload Specialist Astronauts. The countries with which we have an international agreement-Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, and Europe select the International Astronaut. Each of these countries has their own Space Agency. </p>
<p>Payload specialists are persons other than NASA astronauts (pilots or mission specialists) whose presence is required on board the Space Shuttle to perform specialized functions related to the payload or other essential mission activities. Payload specialists are nominated by NASA, the foreign sponsor, or the designated payload sponsor (private companies, universities, etc.). "</p>
<p>"What is the best college or university to attend?</p>
<p>NASA cannot recommend one college or university over another, or specify which schools might best prepare an individual for the Astronaut Candidate Program. However, please remember that the college or university you attend must be an accredited institution"</p>
<p>"Is surgery to improve visual acuity allowed?</p>
<p>No, any type of surgery to improve visual acuity, e.g. radial keratotomy, photorefractive keratectomy, LASIK, etc., will disqualify you for the Astronaut Candidate Program." -- so, no bad eyesight!</p>
<p>"Is it better to apply as a civilian or through the military?</p>
<p>Military experience is not a requirement for the Astronaut Candidate Program. While military flight experience is advantageous for Pilot Astronaut Candidate positions, it is not necessarily a factor for Mission Specialist Astronaut Candidate positions. Of the 94 Mission Specialists currently onboard, 32 are military and 62 are civilian. Obtaining military experience must be your own decision. Active duty military personnel must submit applications for the Astronaut Candidate Program through their respective service. After preliminary screening by the military, a small number of applications are submitted to NASA for further consideration. If selected, military personnel are detailed to NASA for a selected period of time"</p>
<p>werner5482-</p>
<p>Like the "werner" part of your name. Rex Walheim, a mission specialist, graduated from either Stanford or Berkley. He's military.</p>
<p>yeah I am really interested in science and also in space exploration. I know its a difficult path to follow but yeah I have already decided to follow it :)</p>
<p>Btw how can a civilian become a test pilot? You know an International in US? Whats the slot you are talking about?</p>
<p>ajayc -- did you read the website i linked to? </p>
<p>to be in the astronaut program in the US, you are going to need to be a citizen. So that would need to be part of your plans.</p>
<p>Other countries that have an agreement with the US can also send someone -- but my guess if that those slots are even harder to come by.</p>
<p>A civilian cannot become a military test pilot -- I think maybe the post referred to a civilian mission specialists.</p>
<p>Also -- are you going to meet the medical requirements? That really knocks some people off the list before they even get started. You need to meet military pilot health requirements -- childhood asthma, past history of taking any med for ADD or ADHD, vision or hearing deficiences -- this link lists some of the disqualifying conditions: <a href="http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/l/blintmedstandar.htm%5B/url%5D">http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/l/blintmedstandar.htm</a></p>
<p>I am not trying to be discouraging -- you just need to know your hurdles (and whether it is even possible).</p>
<p>There is an International Test Pilot School in Mojave, CA. Look on the web; I'm sure they are there. There's also via the military, but I'm not sure how a civilian goes about doing it; I just know they do. Again, check the web for info.</p>