posted 09-18-2007 10:49 AM               

NASA Opens Applications for New Astronaut Class

NASA is accepting applications for the 2009 Astronaut Candidate Class. Those selected could fly to space for long-duration stays on the International Space Station and missions to the moon.

"We look forward to gathering applications and then being able to select from the largest pool possible," said Ellen Ochoa, NASA's chief of Flight Crew Operations at the Johnson Space Center. "Continuing our impressive record in successfully carrying out challenging human spaceflight missions depends on maintaining a talented and diverse astronaut corps."

To be considered, a bachelor's degree in engineering, science or math and three years of relevant professional experience are required. Typically, successful applicants have significant qualifications in engineering or science, or extensive experience flying high-performance jet aircraft.

Teaching experience, including work at the kindergarten through 12th grade level, is considered qualifying. Educators with the appropriate educational background are encouraged to apply.

After a six-month period of evaluation and interviews, NASA will announce final selections in early 2009. Astronaut candidates will report to Johnson in the summer of 2009 to begin the basic training program to prepare them for future spaceflight assignments.

posted 02-04-2008 02:22 AM               

Social skills weren't part of the job description for America's first astronauts.

Piloting the one-man Mercury capsule was a dangerous new endeavor. A sure touch on the stick and a willingness to risk death trumped being a nice, chatty guy. And some of the first space fliers weren't.

Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard was known as the "Ice Commander" for his chilly glare. Colleagues Deke Slayton and Gus Grissom thought they'd had "a deep talk" if they exchanged 40 sentences during a cross-country flight, Tom Wolfe wrote in his book "The Right Stuff".

Now that icon -- the astronaut as a grim-faced, laconic test pilot -- is being nudged aside.

posted 02-05-2008 06:44 AM               

I know of a few readers who are preparing applications for the 2009 class.

posted 02-08-2008 02:52 PM               

UNCLASSIFIED//
R 062208Z FEB 08
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//
TO NAVADMIN
INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//N1//
UNCLAS //N01401//
NAVADMIN 036/08
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N1/FEB//
SUBJ/NAVY ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE SELECTION BOARD//
REF/A/DOC/BUPERS/26NOV07// AMPN/REF A IS BUPERSINST 1401.4C, ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE SELECTION PROGRAM.//

Rmks/1. This navadmin announces the Navy astronaut candidate (ascan) selection board (board #295), scheduled to convene 5 May 08. Applications and endorsements must be received by comnavperscom (pers-45e) not later than 1 Mar 08. The five astronaut candidates selected by this board will be nominated to the NASA ascan board. If selected by NASA, candidates can expect orders to NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX for the ascan class convening Aug 09.

2. Applications will not be accepted from the following communities due to critical inventory shortfalls and/or priority global war on terrorism skill set requirements: naval special warfare (113x, 615x), engineering duty officer (144x), permanent military professor (1200), explosive ordnance disposal (114x), information professional (1600), intelligence (1630), public affairs officer (165x), judge advocate general's corps (250x), supply corps (310x), and civil engineering corps (510x).

3. Navy ascan program details, selection criteria and application procedures are contained in Ref A. Note new application procedures for this selection cycle: all Navy applicants must apply for selection to both comnavperscom (pers-45e) and to NASA. Updated information may be obtained on-line from the NASA ascan website or via the NASA astronaut candidate link on the Navy personnel command homepage. NASA will advertise ascan positions on the USA Jobs website. All forms filled out on the USA Jobs website must be included with application packages submitted to comnavperscom (pers-45e).

4. Medical screening documents required by Ref A must be forwarded to the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) for review not later than 1 Mar 08. Send to:

Naval Aerospace Medical Institute
Attn: Nami Code 342
340 Hulse Rd
Pensacola, Fl 32508-1071

Packages submitted via fax or e-mail should use the following information:

FAX: (850) 452-2957/DSN 922
Email attachment: physquals-nomi@med.navy.mil

5. Copies of all medical screening documents must also be included with application packages submitted to comnavperscom not later than 1 Mar 08.

6. Point of contact is Cdr Jerry Stokes, Asst Space Cadre Advisor, comnavperscom (pers-45e) at (901) 874-4058/dsn 882, or email at jerry.k.stokes(at)navy.mil.

7. Released by VAdm J. C. Harvey, Jr., N1.//

BT
NNNN

posted 02-28-2008 12:30 PM               

1978: Navy 9 ; Air Force 10.
1980: Navy 3; Air Force 6.
1984: Navy 5; Air Force 5.
1985: Navy 3; Air Force 3.
1987: Navy 3; Air Force 4.
1990: Navy 1; Air Force 7.
1992: Navy 6; Air Force 2.
1995: Navy 5; Air Force 5.
1996: Navy 10; Air Force 5.
1998: Navy 7; Air Force 2.
2000: Navy 3; Air Force 7.
2004: Navy 1; Air Force 1.

Obviously, the standard has shifted back and forth over the years. How does the respective branch of the military determine how many of it's personnel it will make available for the selection process, and is it predicated on how many astronaut candidates NASA has told them it plans to select?

posted 02-28-2008 01:18 PM               

Identical for all practical purposes; I wonder if it's deliberate or just happened that way.

posted 04-26-2008 01:30 PM               

For what may be the first time since the inception of the American space program, the Navy is restricting nominations to the astronaut corps. The move comes nearly 50 years after Alan B. Shepard, a naval aviator, became the first American in space.

The cutback, Navy officials say, comes as the service tries to retain the expertise it needs to fulfill its wartime obligations while experiencing an overall decline in its numbers. A message from Vice Admiral J. C. Harvey Jr. last month stated that applications for Navy nominations to the space program from 10 specialties would not be accepted "due to critical inventory shortfalls and/or priority global war on terrorism skill set requirements."

Those groups include the special warfare forces known as Seals, certain engineering groups and experts in explosive ordinance disposal, as well as permanent military professors and public affairs officers.

George W. S. Abbey, a former NASA official who wielded control over the astronaut office during much of his long tenure at the agency, which lasted from 1964 to 2002, said "the Navy is taking a position that adversely affects the country's ability to have a vital and ongoing space program."

Lt. Cmdr. William Marks, a Navy spokesman, said he could find no previous restriction on naval applications to the astronaut corps, but insisted that the move in no way diminished the service's commitment to NASA.

"Officially, we are a very enthusiastic supporter of the NASA program," Commander Marks said. "We always have been and still are."

...one applicant who was affected by the decision, Lt. Cmdr. Michael Runkle, executive officer of the Navy Experimental Diving Unit in Panama City Beach, Fla., said he was "a little bitter" about the new rules. Commander Runkle said he joined the Navy in part because he had hoped it would lead to a career in space, even though he knew the chances of acceptance were slim.

"It's kind of like winning the lottery," he said. "You live your life as you do, but you buy a ticket every once in a while."

He applied unsuccessfully twice before, and "I'm under no great illusion that I would have been chosen this time," though he said his application was stronger. With his expertise in ordinance disposal, however, he cannot apply again under the new rules.

"I'm told I'm not allowed to buy a lottery ticket," he said, "just on the off chance that I win."

posted 05-01-2008 12:49 PM               

The USN selection board will convene on 5 May 2008.

The USAF board will consider their candidates over 13 to 16 May 2008.

The USMC have already held their board, commencing 26 February 2008 and announced the results. They are nominating 31 candidates to NASA.

The US Army said they would be running a selection but I was unable to find any additional information.

posted 05-18-2008 10:32 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Robonaut:
The USMC have already held their board, commencing 26 February 2008 and announced the results. They are nominating 31 candidates to NASA.

---

A Yuma Marine pilot has been selected as a candidate to be a NASA astronaut.

Maj. Brian Cole, AV-8B Harrier instructor and aviation safety officer assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1, is competing against 30 other Marines for the NASA position in August 2009.

posted 06-19-2008 02:26 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Robonaut:
The USAF board will consider their candidates over 13 to 16 May 2008.

---

AF nominates 114 officers for astronaut training

The Air Force Astronaut Nomination Board has forwarded 114 nominations to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for consideration in the pilot and mission specialist categories. The board was held May 13 to 15 and the medical screening panel was held May 20 to 22. More than 200 noninees were considered.

Forty-eight names were forwarded in the astronaut pilot category while 66 names were forwarded in the mission specialist category. Candidates from that pre-selection are then evaluated by NASA, with the highest-qualified individuals invited to Johnson Space Center, Houston, for interviews this fall.

Airmen selected by NASA will be detailed to the JSC astronaut office for a one-year candidacy program. They will enter the basic astronaut training program, contributing to the design, development and testing of the Ares launch and the Orion crew exploration vehicles. In addition, they will participate in planning for future human operations on the moon.

The Air Force nominees will compete with those nominated by the other services and civilian applicants. NASA selections are expected to be announced to the services in May 2009.

posted 06-25-2008 11:28 AM               

Air Force Space Command sends six nominees to NASA astronaut candidate selection board

Six AFSPC officers have been selected by an Air Force board to have a shot at a Mission Specialist berth with NASA for the astronaut class of 2009.

The nominees are: Maj. James E. Smith, Air Force Element, Buckley Air Force Base (AFELM); Maj. Jay A. Orson, AFELM; Capt. Matthew R. Allen, AFELM; Maj. William J. Christopher, Global Positioning System Wing; Maj James P. Lake, GPS Squadron; and Maj. David J. Laird, 1st Space Launch Squadron.

"I was happy to be nominated," said Major Christopher. "I have wanted to be an astronaut since I was in high school. That is why I went to the Air Force Academy. However, I also applied for the astronaut class of 2004 and was not selected, so I am taking a wait and see attitude."

This selection is one step in a very long and often complex process. It is a huge milestone for these potential astronaut candidates. According to Howard Peterson, the point of contact for the Air Force screening board, there were 213 Air Force nominees for this astronaut class. One hundred forty-five were sent forward to NASA for medical screening, where 31 were dropped from consideration for medical reasons. The total sent forward by the Air Force is 114 for this class; 66 are for the Mission Specialist jobs.

These candidates are a diverse group.

"What they can bring to the NASA table will determine what they do for NASA," Mr. Peterson said.

Typically NASA gets about 3,000 to 4,000 applicants for an astronaut class, although they may receive as many as 6,000 for this one. Of these applicants, about 120 are chosen for interviews, and the normal class selected is 10 to 12 individuals, although some have been larger, dependent on NASA's needs.

"I am a very lucky guy," said Major Lake. "Most people never even get the opportunity to apply for an astronaut position.

"I have been thinking about this for as long as I can remember," he added.

Major Lake has built his life around his goal. He received his bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees all in aerospace engineering. His wife and daughter are also very supportive of his efforts.

"My family has been through it all with me," he said. "My daughter was born while I was studying for my Ph.D., and this has been a part of her life ever since. They have been very supportive all the way with this process. They understand the importance of it all and are with me 100 percent."

Some of the class of 2009 astronauts will have the opportunity to be selected to return to the moon. In the history of the world, only 12 men have ever walked on the moon. These nominees are going through the selection process in order to push human exploration of space to its next logical limit. Some of those members chosen for this class will join the elite group to have walked on the moon and lead others forward to Mars, the next step on NASA's itinerary.

Jeff Ashby, former NASA liaison to AFSPC and a former astronaut himself said, "I would guess that over a ten to fifteen-year career, the astronauts of this class will have one or two and maybe as many as three opportunities to fly in space."

Air Force Space Command volunteers are stepping forward, doing their part to keep the NASA vision of space exploration an ongoing effort.

posted 07-03-2008 06:24 PM               

According to the one of the applicants, who spoke with the astronaut office, 3,500 applications were submitted (an additional 1,500 resumes were received without completing the required NASA forms and are not eligible for consideration).

If 3,500 remain eligible (their transcripts still need to be processed, which can lead to additional disqualifications) then this year's selection will be on par with the third largest recruitment of space shuttle-era astronauts:

posted 01-11-2009 01:38 PM               

When Sian Proctor was a teenager, she found that her eyesight and the loss of her beloved father thwarted the 20/20 vision she had for life: to become an astronaut.

So, who could have guessed that two decades later, this geology faculty member of South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, would be invited to interview for an astronaut position with NASA?

...Proctor, 38, was born on Guam where her father worked at the NASA tracking station during the Gemini and Apollo missions. After Apollo 13, the family moved back to the United States.

At age 16, Proctor's then-poor vision required her to get glasses. Her father died a few years later, deepening Proctor's belief that she would never be able to fulfill her dream.

posted 01-12-2009 09:04 AM               

JAXA also notes that "successful applicants will do two years of basic training with NASA astronaut candidates."