The Sun By Margi Murphy 9/4/2017
People who love to snooze and needy types who want attention would do well in the strict space screening process, astronaut explains.
TRAVELLING into space is a dream for a lot of landlubbing humans.
But it turns out that becoming an astronaut may not be as far-fetched a career goal as it might appear.
The Sun Online has enlisted the help of a former Nasa astronaut who flew into space to help build the International Space Station to explain what traits you need to journey through space.
Tony Antonelli was born in Detroit, Michigan, and joined Nasa in 2000 after working as a test pilot in the US Navy.
As a schoolboy, he “did well in some things, struggled in others, but certainly wasn’t a star”.
Tony insists that as a nine-year-old, "you wouldn’t have picked me out from anybody else in my class”.
He strongly believes there could be a nine-year-old somewhere in the UK who might appear equally "average" but will one day step foot on Mars.
Space travel has long seemed like it's reserved for young, American ready-made Bruce Willis types - not British school kids or 30-something office workers who wished they'd studied a bit harder in their GCSEs.
But the tables are turning, Tony says.
There are several skills and particular traits which will equip you for an application or an interview with Nasa or the European Space Agency - and you don’t need to have graduated from Oxford or Cambridge University to pass the screening test.
So what kind of person do you need to be to journey outside the comfort of planet Earth?
Tony, who joined the US Navy so he could pay his university fees, says there is a mix of qualifications and experiences you should think about getting, but the rest is down to luck.
He began testing fighter jets for the military and after applying for permission to apply to Nasa, found himself swapping planes for rockets.
“Aside from needing a college degree there isn’t too much else in basic qualifications for Nasa and the European Space Agency,” he says.
Here are the skills and personality traits you need to become an astronaut:
More:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/4378704/how-do-i-become-an-astronaut-nasa-spaceman-reveals-how-you-could-become-a-cosmic-explorer/
