3 ms·

Absolutism doesn't work. But we can still have a role based definition for an astronaut that is pretty well understood, riding a craft to space without any inte

by soheil 5y ago

Absolutism doesn't work. But we can still have a role based definition for an astronaut that is pretty well understood, riding a craft to space without any intensive training for a short period of time and coming back down isn't one.

Dylan16807 5y ago
I don't think the training matters. NASA could grab someone right now and send them to do science on the ISS for a few months without intensive training. Okay, they wouldn't be able to do space walks, whatever. They'd deserve the title astronaut. Duration of the trip works right now, but I don't know if that will continue to be a useful rule. And I would like to know your answer to my question. If we get a space shuttle out of storage, and someone pilots it but does nothing else, are they an astronaut? With said pilot being non-NASA to avoid the "everyone on a NASA mission is an astronaut" rule.
- krapp 5y ago
  >NASA could grab someone right now and send them to do science on the ISS for a few months without intensive training. Wikipedia's page on astronaut training suggests otherwise[0] - becoming an astronaut takes a year and a half to two years of training, and of course to do science on the ISS, you need to be a qualified scientist to begin with. NASA's requirements page[1] says you need a masters' degree in some STEM field. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training [1]https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/feat...
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    > Wikipedia's page on astronaut training suggests otherwise[0] - becoming an astronaut takes a year and a half to two years of training, and of course to do science on the ISS, you need to be a qualified scientist to begin with. That much training isn't required because the people involved will get hurt. It's required because NASA wants everyone on board to be all-around experts at space. > NASA's requirements page[1] says you need a masters' degree in some STEM field. The space station doesn't care if you have a degree.
    - krapp 5y ago
      >That much training isn't required because the people involved will get hurt. It's required because NASA wants everyone on board to be all-around experts at space. It's still a lot more training than Bezos and Branson got. >The space station doesn't care if you have a degree. Citation needed. Every source I've been able to find says NASA requires at least a Bachelor's degree for mission-specific training on the ISS, or a Masters' degree to qualify for the astronaut corps. Given how expensive time and equipment on the ISS is, I seriously doubt they're sending high-school dropouts up to do research.
      - Dylan16807 5y ago
        I'm not sure how to be clearer. When I say NASA could do something, that means if they wanted to. NASA doesn't want anyone that isn't a super duper expert, but they don't need that rule.
- wang_li 5y ago
  NASA has 13 astronauts, the entirety of the 2017 class, who have a combined total time in space that is less than Jeff Bezos has. Which is to say none of them have been in space and when they do go t will be aboard commercial spacecraft. If they happen to take a trip on top of a falcon 9 rocket in a crew dragon capsule, they will be passengers. Yet they are currently called astronauts and would likely be given “wings” upon completion of their first flight as a passenger on a crew dragon.

by soheil 5y ago

Dylan16807 5y ago

I don't think the training matters. NASA could grab someone right now and send them to do science on the ISS for a few months without intensive training. Okay, they wouldn't be able to do space walks, whatever. They'd deserve the title astronaut. Duration of the trip works right now, but I don't know if that will continue to be a useful rule. And I would like to know your answer to my question. If we get a space shuttle out of storage, and someone pilots it but does nothing else, are they an astronaut? With said pilot being non-NASA to avoid the "everyone on a NASA mission is an astronaut" rule.

krapp 5y ago
>NASA could grab someone right now and send them to do science on the ISS for a few months without intensive training. Wikipedia's page on astronaut training suggests otherwise[0] - becoming an astronaut takes a year and a half to two years of training, and of course to do science on the ISS, you need to be a qualified scientist to begin with. NASA's requirements page[1] says you need a masters' degree in some STEM field. [0]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_training [1]https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/feat...
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  > Wikipedia's page on astronaut training suggests otherwise[0] - becoming an astronaut takes a year and a half to two years of training, and of course to do science on the ISS, you need to be a qualified scientist to begin with. That much training isn't required because the people involved will get hurt. It's required because NASA wants everyone on board to be all-around experts at space. > NASA's requirements page[1] says you need a masters' degree in some STEM field. The space station doesn't care if you have a degree.
  - krapp 5y ago
    >That much training isn't required because the people involved will get hurt. It's required because NASA wants everyone on board to be all-around experts at space. It's still a lot more training than Bezos and Branson got. >The space station doesn't care if you have a degree. Citation needed. Every source I've been able to find says NASA requires at least a Bachelor's degree for mission-specific training on the ISS, or a Masters' degree to qualify for the astronaut corps. Given how expensive time and equipment on the ISS is, I seriously doubt they're sending high-school dropouts up to do research.
    - Dylan16807 5y ago
      I'm not sure how to be clearer. When I say NASA could do something, that means if they wanted to. NASA doesn't want anyone that isn't a super duper expert, but they don't need that rule.
wang_li 5y ago
NASA has 13 astronauts, the entirety of the 2017 class, who have a combined total time in space that is less than Jeff Bezos has. Which is to say none of them have been in space and when they do go t will be aboard commercial spacecraft. If they happen to take a trip on top of a falcon 9 rocket in a crew dragon capsule, they will be passengers. Yet they are currently called astronauts and would likely be given “wings” upon completion of their first flight as a passenger on a crew dragon.