Thousands of people are qualified to and apply for jobs as astronauts. Very few get the positions. On the average about one out of every 120 applicants. The chances of becoming astronauts are like becoming professional sports superstars. Very few make it. It's a better career choice if you decide to have a job as an astronaut or even be satisfied with any other jobs in the space program, than if you decide to be disappointed if not given the job of an astronaut. People can have previous careers before becoming an astronaut. School principals, sewage plant engineers, state troopers or even sea divers have become astronauts. The job of an astronaut can't make you very rich. Most people have to accept in their salaries. New astronauts qualify as GS11 to GS14 government employees depending upon their education and experience. The salaries in year 2000 are between $42,000 to $71,000 per year. This is the same amount of salary as anyone else working for the federal government.

To be an astronaut, all applicants must be US citizens. For the government the first priority goes to a US citizen unless no qualified citizens are available. Also people have to make the career choice of becoming a pilot or mission specialist. Pilots fly the shuttle and eventually may become commanders. Mission specialists help control the robotic arms, payload bay, perform space walks, and most other on orbital tasks. Though in many cases pilots fly as mission specialists.

All astronauts need a bachelor's degree of science from a well-credited college. The degree should be of hard sciences or engineering. Majority of astronauts have additional degrees and work experience. Also you have to be in excellent physical condition. Not definitely an Olympic athlete, but people with diseases like diabetes, kidney problems are rejected. Your vision shouldn't be any worse than 20/200. People who smoke are rarely accepted. Applicants for the job shouldn't have any felonies, bad credits or other black marks on your security clearance. All astronauts are private pilots. NASA also takes people who are good public speakers, have received awards and works well with the others. The choice of undergraduate college isn't very critical. Many astronauts went to Purdue, MIT and other known colleges. At the same time others have been to smaller colleges or even community colleges. But even at this point a degree is always desirable.

The real work comes in graduate schools. The choice of school and fields to study is extremely important here. Prestigious engineering schools are most desired. Aerospace, engineering, physics, medicine, and electric engineering are the most popular fields. NASA also looks for people who are greatly involved in laboratory research. There are different requirements for pilot astronauts, military and civilian mission specialists.

To become a pilot you have to be a graduate of the US military schools. Either at Patient River, Maryland or the Edwards Air Force base in California. NASA admires flying and combat experience to the greatest extent. At these conditions graduate degrees is desirable but not absolutely required. The astronaut office invites qualified pilots to visit NASA. Some pilots fly shuttle training aircraftsat NASA's Johnson Space Center before becoming an astronaut.