What conditions do astronauts need to meet?

1. Youth: Youth is the primary condition for becoming an astronaut. Although astronauts are still flying into their 50s, the European Space Agency will only accept applicants between the ages of 27 and 37.

2. Scientific acumen: Astronaut candidates must have a college degree, and it must be in engineering, science, medicine or mathematics. Candidates must also be able to speak English (the primary language for space travel), and speaking Russian would give candidates an added advantage.

3. Patience: Astronauts have to wait at least five years before they have the chance to realize their space dreams.

4. Bravery: In the journey of mankind to conquer space, there have been two space shuttle disasters, and other types of accidents are also too numerous to mention.

5. Team spirit: Astronauts face a long-term task team of 300 people composed of mission controllers, scientists, engineers and relevant officials. Anyone who has a high self-esteem and is self-centered is not a candidate for recruitment by the space agency.

6. Prepare to live a strange life: On a short-term space shuttle mission, you will work most of the day with only short breaks. Astronauts must adjust their mentality and be mentally prepared for a strange living environment. Weightlessness is the strangest feeling, but you will get used to it after three or four days.

7. Excellent psychological quality: The performance of astronauts depends largely on their performance in space. One of the important qualities of an astronaut is the ability to face setbacks, either caused by mistakes made by oneself or caused by uncontrollable external circumstances.

Extended information:

Manned space activities have strict physical and psychological requirements for astronauts. Aerospace medicine experts formulate corresponding selection projects, content and standardization based on space missions and their different requirements for various types of astronauts.

Generally, it includes basic qualification review, clinical medical examination, physiological function selection, psychological selection, special environmental factor endurance and adaptability selection, etc. The selection standards and conditions for astronauts are basically the same in various countries, especially the physical fitness requirements.

The selection standards and methods of early astronauts in the United States and the Soviet Union had many similarities; the astronauts were all selected from fighter pilots; the selection of astronauts was based on the selection of pilots; the selection items specified were almost same.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Astronaut