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75% are active-duty or former military (all O-4 or higher), and most are graduates of one of the service academies. Without taking anything away from their acco

75% are active-duty or former military (all O-4 or higher), and most are graduates of one of the service academies. Without taking anything away from their accomplishment, it's safe to say these individuals were already high-achievers to begin with.

beambot 13y ago
I fail to grok the vastly disproportionate number of candidates from a military background. At the very least, it gives me a (mostly-unfounded) perception that the astronaut program must operate on a military-like hierarchy. On the flip side, this gives me great hope for non-government space operations a la Space-X.
- kibibyte 13y ago
  I'm going to hazard a guess and say that military people tend to be much better physically prepared than anyone else for the forces they will experience during space missions.
- Subuatai 13y ago
  I'm not an expert but here's my humble opinion. Being an astronaught has very stringent physical and mental requirements. It's probably easier(or cheaper) to pick the smartest candidates from a group of very fit ones. To make a very crude analogy, it's easier to turn the star QB into a valedictorian than to turn the valedictorian into a QB. Ps. I love the verb grok. Such a great book.
- AaronIG 13y ago
  It's not just any military background, though. Most of them are former pilots. Astronaut Candidates must have 1,000 hours of "pilot-in-command" time in a jet aircraft, or 3 years of professional related experience. The former is usually obtained through the military. A civilian would have to complete training equivalent to that of a military pilot before actually being cleared for a mission. One-third of military pilots don't, though it's entirely possible the civilian could. However, it probably makes more sense to train those individuals who have already shown they can perform under similar conditions.
  - nknighthb 13y ago
    Also, the only military one that isn't a pilot is... a flight surgeon. This seems unlikely to be a coincidence.

beambot 13y ago

I fail to grok the vastly disproportionate number of candidates from a military background. At the very least, it gives me a (mostly-unfounded) perception that the astronaut program must operate on a military-like hierarchy. On the flip side, this gives me great hope for non-government space operations a la Space-X.

kibibyte 13y ago
I'm going to hazard a guess and say that military people tend to be much better physically prepared than anyone else for the forces they will experience during space missions.
Subuatai 13y ago
I'm not an expert but here's my humble opinion. Being an astronaught has very stringent physical and mental requirements. It's probably easier(or cheaper) to pick the smartest candidates from a group of very fit ones. To make a very crude analogy, it's easier to turn the star QB into a valedictorian than to turn the valedictorian into a QB. Ps. I love the verb grok. Such a great book.
AaronIG 13y ago
It's not just any military background, though. Most of them are former pilots. Astronaut Candidates must have 1,000 hours of "pilot-in-command" time in a jet aircraft, or 3 years of professional related experience. The former is usually obtained through the military. A civilian would have to complete training equivalent to that of a military pilot before actually being cleared for a mission. One-third of military pilots don't, though it's entirely possible the civilian could. However, it probably makes more sense to train those individuals who have already shown they can perform under similar conditions.
- nknighthb 13y ago
  Also, the only military one that isn't a pilot is... a flight surgeon. This seems unlikely to be a coincidence.