Astronauts: Do You Have What It Takes?

[TheHoodedClaw]

Chris Hadfield takes 12 candidates through space agency selection, or as near as possible. It's on BBC 2.

Difficulty level: The first test is seeing how you get on hovering a helicopter. Yikes!

Worth a watch, but perhaps a blow to those of us who've always dreamed of being an astronaut...

 

[wayward bob]

no. i'd be first to go postal

 

[Gromit]

I've got over a thousand hours experience in simulators.
Elite
No Man's Sky
X-wing vrs Tie Fighter.

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

The candidate pool here is like: "I'm a professional theoretical physicist, but I also spend half my time as a pro ballerina with English Ballet"

*tears up application form*

 

[D'wards]

Got this taped, but interested in the process.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe is an excellent book about astronaut selection in the 60s. Back then you had to be a shit hot test pilot with a cool and calm manner.

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

Back then you had to be a shit hot test pilot with a cool and calm manner.

They are definitely looking for a slightly different skillset here.

 

[Gromit]

Back then you had to be a shit hot test pilot with a cool and calm manner.

 

[DotCommunist]

perhaps a blow to those of us who've always dreamed of being an astronaut...

excellent physical condition, first rate science quals, ability to speak russian, flight experience and a stable mental health. I have none of these and won't even be on the B ark.

 

[NoXion]

My eyesight is extremely poor without corrective lenses (my left eye is especially bad), so I'm pretty sure that I'm disqualified on that basis alone, even ignoring the fact that I'm not a polymath athlete.

 

[NoXion]

I've got over a thousand hours experience in simulators.
Elite
No Man's Sky
X-wing vrs Tie Fighter.

Kerbal Space Program is closer to actually piloting a rocket than any of those games. Most space games don't even bother putting remotely sane limits on the Delta-V of their spacecraft, alone accurately modeling orbital mechanics or Newtonian dynamics.

 

[a_chap]

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe is an excellent book about astronaut selection in the 60s. Back then you had to be a shit hot test pilot with a cool and calm manner.

There are excellent accounts of the selection process in the autobiographies of most astronauts - which became progressively less onerous over the years.

But for the really punishing selection process of NASA's first astronaut candidates read the books by six of the seven original Mercury astronauts:

John Glenn - "A Memoir"
Gordon Cooper - "Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey Into the Unknown"
Walt Cunningham - "All-American Boys"
M. Scott Carpenter - "For Spacious Skies: The Uncommon Journey of a Mercury Astronaut"
Gus Grissom - "Gemini: A Personal Account of Man's Venture into Space"
Deke Slayton - "Deke!: An Autobiography"

 

[Gromit]

Kerbal Space Program is closer to actually piloting a rocket than any of those games. Most space games don't even bother putting remotely sane limits on the Delta-V of their spacecraft, alone accurately modeling orbital mechanics or Newtonian dynamics.

Eloquent comment.
Here is my eloquent answer:

Well duh!

 

[D'wards]

There are excellent accounts of the selection process in the autobiographies of most astronauts - which became progressively less onerous over the years.

But for the really punishing selection process of NASA's first astronaut candidates read the books by six of the seven original Mercury astronauts:

John Glenn - "A Memoir"
Gordon Cooper - "Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey Into the Unknown"
Walt Cunningham - "All-American Boys"
M. Scott Carpenter - "For Spacious Skies: The Uncommon Journey of a Mercury Astronaut"
Gus Grissom - "Gemini: A Personal Account of Man's Venture into Space"
Deke Slayton - "Deke!: An Autobiography"

I have Chris Hadfield's book - have you read that and is it any good?

 

[a_chap]

I have Chris Hadfield's book - have you read that and is it any good?

I haven't read it, sorry.

I found Mike Mullane's book "Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut" disillusioned me about shuttle-era astronauts so I concentrate on Mercury, Gemini & Apollo era books. Much more exciting

 

[DotCommunist]

i normally dislike this sort of format because of all the contrived stuff of drama, but its quite good. I love the fact that the gormless looking uni lad who does space geology and has almost certainly played D&D or Warhammer is as good at some tasks as the clearly gifted RAF woman who has about a billion times his flight hours and assurance (she has the look/demeanour of a competitive person used to winning. Which you'd expect from someone who flies for the military).

some of the ways others failed or succeded at the tasks was interesting. Didn't see the sureoun flaking out that quickly. Just not enough transferable skills from his job or is it the person?

its also reminded me of those bastard tests that are unbeatable, we are just testing to see which point you fail at. Doing step ups while remembering number sequences backwards is fiendishly difficult.

 

[wiskey]

Just got into this, binge watched the first 3 and then 4.

It's far more interesting than I expected, the tasks are not straightforward and the applicants are an interesting and mixed bunch.

I really dislike the RAF pilot, she's too self assured and cocky, the bumbling space geologist is wonderful though, the way his whole face lights up at the wonder of things

but massive over achievers the lot of them!

 

[nuffsaid]

Just freeze me and wake me up once we're there. What's the worst that could happen.

'Are we there yet...?'

 

[Gromit]

Just freeze me and wake me up once we're there. What's the worst that could happen.

You could wake up early and have to spend the rest of your life alone with Jenifer Lawrence.

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

the bumbling space geologist is wonderful though, the way his whole face lights up at the wonder of things

He's got a touch of the Brian Cox's about him.

 

[wiskey]

He's got a touch of the Brian Cox's about him.

Doesn't he just

 

[bubblesmcgrath]

I'd love it....but I doubt they'd accept me...physically fooked.

 

[wayward bob]

i for one think it's a cruel blow that the one fundamental ability you need is swimming. ffs

 

[wayward bob]

whereas claustrophobic woman really should have thought twice at application...

 

[bemused]

I don't have what it takes, I fucking hate sharing hotel rooms - I'd never make it on a space ship.

 

[DotCommunist]

space geologist lad at the 'informal' drinks and natter do did make me lol. Just vibing on it all

Doesn't he just

slight touch of the 'its brilliant!' lad from Fast Show

I found reactions to some of the tests fascinating, as in how the test was tackled. The hypoxia one where the man with the ear issue went into 'soldier through' mode until he was in dangerous levels of oxygen. You just killed you, and maybe me. Yet the person trained to this sort of tasked called it in early.

 

[wiskey]

i for one think it's a cruel blow that the one fundamental ability you need is swimming. ffs

Oh I made sure to tell the 'I don't wanna go to my swimming lessons' 8yo all about that.

'I never even said I wanted to be an astronaut' he sulked

 

[wiskey]

Remembered that I hadn't seen who won so watched the last one.

The right person won

 

[gosub]

still think Mars will end up populated as a penal colony

 

[a_chap]

I read that as "populated as a papal colony"