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A NASA Engineer Became an Astronaut After Being Rejected 14 Times
- kelukelugames 11y agoAmazing story but the interview is not interesting at all. Doesn't talk about his struggles. Just generic fluff. Here is the link to reviews for his book. http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Spaceman-Boyhood-Dreams-Astronaut/dp/0803262825/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440187843&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Ordinary+Spaceman&pebp=1440187903410&perid=0W89271FCJG0XNQTV01T http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Spaceman-Boyhood-Dreams-Astro...
- smackfu 11y agoReminds me of the story of Charles Walker. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_D._Walker https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_D._Walker Went on three shuttle missions with a BS in engineering and never joining NASA.
- neurotech1 11y agoA surprising number of "NASA engineers" from JSC became astronauts. When working at JSC, these engineers interact with the astronauts, and having a senior astronaut on your side is an advantage. Additionally, a large proportion of astronauts apply multiple times before selection, although 14 times is probably a record.
- Animats 11y agoBeing an astronaut for NASA would be more interesting if NASA had a functioning launch system. NASA still has too many astronauts. They had something like 140 at peak; now they're down to 46 or so. Once Space-X gets their Falcon/Dragon system man-rated, this may change.
- bane 11y agoIf Space-X can get launch costs down, this number will likely explode, as will commercial astronaut programs.
- david-given 11y agoWhile I agree with the sentiment, I do think the word 'explode' in this sentence was possibly not a good choice?
- michaelt 11y agoI'd expect the number of astronauts to skyrocket :)
- david-given 11y agoQ. What's the difference between a bomb and a rocket? A. Bombs blow things up. Rockets blow things up.
- informatimago 11y agoErr, don't rockets blow things down, to get an upward push by reaction?
- david-given 11y agoEveryone knows that rockets work by pushing against the atmosphere!
- g0v 11y agoGood for him, chase your dreams.
- awicklander 11y agoHe has an awesome story. I had the good luck to interview him a little while ago for a sporadic podcast I do: http://projectidealism.com/posts/2014/1/31/podcast-episode-17-that-moment-is-given-to-you-by-the-lack-of-gravity http://projectidealism.com/posts/2014/1/31/podcast-episode-1...
- reinhardt 11y agoOn the one hand that's some admirable persistence right there.. on the other I don't know.. how would you feel if your doctor had been rejected 14 times from med school before getting his degree?
- sandworm101 11y agoI think the astronauts are more patients than doctors. They are test subjects. Every move in space is carefully planned by committees on the ground. No doubt it is a demanding job requiring all sorts of skills, but it isn't the same as a surgeon. Absent some worst case scenarios, responsibility and decision making is far more shared.
- amorphid 11y agoAstronauts are some of the most highly trained people on the planet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training
- sandworm101 11y agoTraining and responsibility are different concepts.
- sandworm101 11y agoGlad to see that this guy doesn't appear to be politically connected. So many astros are that I had assumed anyone taken into the program so late in their career would be related to a senator or three. It's nice to be proven wrong. But I remain under the impression that astro selection is very political.
- Ankaios 11y agoWhich astronauts were politically connected prior to selection?
- sandworm101 11y agoFor starters ... all who want to westpoint. To go to the point you need a recommendation from either sitting congressmen/senator, or a "career" officer of note in the US armed forces. Westpoint is not open to just anyone with the grades. You very literally have to know people in high places. http://www.usma.edu/admissions/sitepages/apply_nominations.aspx http://www.usma.edu/admissions/sitepages/apply_nominations.a... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_astronauts_educated_at_the_United_States_Military_Academy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_astronauts_educated_at... (That's just the easiest to research. If you dig into most astronaut's backgrounds you can find prominent people who helped them along.)
- Ankaios 11y agoThe academies are indeed open to "just anyone," but grades aren't the only consideration. Members of Congress have processes for requesting the nomination letters, and anyone can request one. There is strong competition for nominations. I've had a few friends who attended West Point and the Air Force Academy, and they were all "normal," middle-class high school students, but with great grades, athletic achievements, and evidence of leadership ability. Have any other examples of political influence in astronaut selection?
- elevenfist 11y agoThat recommendation from a congressmen/senator is given fairly easily--just leading a high school sports team to win your state's championship is enough. You don't have to even know them personally beforehand.
- inguinalhernia 11y agoPersistence is so often an underrated trait