I want to be an Astronaut, which schools should I apply to

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Since I was young I have had an interest in space, pouring over astronomy books, and going to space camp every summer.</p>

<p>Screw working on Wall Street, or being a lawyer like my parents want! I want to be an astronaut!
I am very physically abled, and in excellent shape.
Which colleges/majors are best for this career path?</p>

2

<p>Major: Aerospace Engineering</p>

<p>Some colleges that astronauts have graduated from: GA Tech, University of Michigan, USC, UCLA, a bunch more that I can’t think of…</p>

3

<p>MIT, but keep in mind that its areo program is considered to be one of the hardest majors at MIT and with most requirements, but it’s still popular and will certainly prepare you well after college (think of Buzz Aldrin- MIT alum)</p>

4

<p>Air Force Academy might be a good choice as well.</p>

5

<p>MIT or Caltech. You do, however, need 99.99th percentile numbers on standardized tests and be in the top 1-5% of your class. Space camp and interest will help.</p>

6

<p>A major in aerospace/aeronautical engineering would probably be best, as stated above. Looking into the militaries academies would be a good idea, as (I think) quite a few of astronauts come from a military background. Other schools with aero engineering majors to check out would be Illinois, Purdue, Embry-Riddle. Good luck!</p>

7

<p>The Naval Academy has produced like 70+ Astronauts, I’ll try to find a link for you.</p>

<p>Edit: Ok, Wikipedia says only 50+, but USNA says this is more than any other school.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Notables/Astronauts/index.htm[/url]”>http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Notables/Astronauts/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>I’ve heard that Purdue produces a good amount of astronauts.</p>

9

<p>Pensacola Junior College. No, seriously… they’ve actually produced an astronaut. </p>

<p>Anyway…</p>

<p>If you can’t get into schools like MIT or CalTech, look into the University of Colorado at Boulder. I know they do a lot of stuff with NASA, and they’ve produced a relatively high number of astronauts.</p>

10

<p>Purdue has graduated the most astronauts out of any school in the country including among them Neil Armstrong.</p>

11

<p>
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Purdue has graduated the most astronauts out of any school in the country including among them Neil Armstrong.

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</p>

<p>The Naval Academy says hi.</p>

12

<p>haha yeah I’m wrong but 22 of Purdue’s graduates are astronauts, including Gus Grissom (one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts), Neil Armstrong (the first person to walk on the moon), and Eugene Cernan (the last person to walk on the moon)</p>

13

<p>To the OP, which camps have you gone to? I was a counselor at the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center’s Future Astronaut Training Program one summer (a long time ago). </p>

<p>The road to being an astronaut is a difficult one as you might expect. Typically when NASA puts out a call for applications, they’ll receive between 3-4 thousand applications. Of those, only about 300-400 will get interviews. The number who actually get selected is usually in the 20-30 range, depending on need to replenish the astronaut pool.</p>

<p>Generally, the age at astronaut selection is 34. This is in part because the candidates are so accomplished.</p>

<p>There are two tracks of astronaut selection - pilots and mission specialists. Pilots need to have had more than 1000 hours of jet aircraft flight time with a premium placed on being an experimental test pilot. Pilots need a Bachelor’s degree in technical fields, and advanced degrees are a plus. </p>

<p>Mission specialists need a bachelor’s degree, but the competition to be an astronaut is so intense that most people have advanced degrees - many MD’s and PhD’s are present in the astronaut ranks.</p>

<p>The biggest thing is deciding on which type of astronaut you’d like to be. Certainly wanting to be a pilot should make you look long and hard about the Air Force or Naval Academies with an emphasis on becoming an AF pilot or a Naval Aviator. If that doesn’t sound like you, any college will be sufficient, but you must major in a technical field (engineering or one of the hard sciences - my BS in Sociology rules me out despite the fact I just received my MD…I’d have to go back to school just to be able to apply). And you must do well in everything you do. Astronauts really are incredibly bright, successful people who not only are academically sound, but also present themselves well in a variety of communication forms.You must be the whole package.</p>

14

<p>Potential astronauts are often very strategic about applying to the program, evaluating what might get them placed ahead of the pack. Yes, you need to have a technical degree, with a graduate degree being even better. Yes, you need to be in excellent shape. But it also helps if you have a pilot’s license, and you can show lots of flight experience, even if you are interested in the mission specialist track. It helps if you’ve worked at a NASA center, and have been part of the culture. It helps if you can demonstrate that you are a team player, either via sports and/or in work culture. Survival skills might be another area that stands out on an app. Being a good public speaker is also key. </p>

<p>I’m sure there’s more, but I just wanted to point out that there are lots of other factors besides where you went to school. You’ll also want to be flexible, because I’m sure the wish list from the astronaut selection office will change in the coming years.</p>

15

<p>I know someone who wants to be an astronaut and he is planning on going to the Air Force Academy.</p>

16

<p>'I know someone who wants to be an astronaut and he is planning on going to the Air Force Academy."</p>

<p>Same.</p>

<p>Given the claimed competition present in astronaut admissions, we may need a new CC forum dedicated to chancing people for that.</p>

17

<p>Purdue! A great aero program and more astronauts than any other school.</p>

18

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<p>Once again, Purdue has a great program but it hasn’t produced as many astronauts as USNA.</p>

<p>I would recommend a service academy, like many people on here said. Depending on the year and your physical qualifications, service academies offer the best chance of getting a military pilot slot and then working your way into a NASA position.</p>

19

<p>The highest number of astronauts have been, historically, graduates of the Air Force Academy and U.S. Naval Academy. But that is because we had more launches in the 60’s and 70’s with them when they were almost 100% military men. Now, we have teachers and scientists going up in Shuttle Launches and Space Station missions, and its men and women. But if you want to FLY the darn shuttle, then being a military pilot is the best way to go. Otherwise, being a top notch scientist is the best route. NASA looks for people early in their college careers because it takes so long to be trained to be an astronaut. And time is running out because unmanned space flights are going to be the predominant types of launches, it seems to me, in these economic limitations.</p>