The one question you hear all the time as a little kid is “what do you want to be when you grow up.” Most children give the same three answers: doctor, lawyer, or astronaut. The adult who asked the question usually replies with a little chuckle underneath their breath because they know what achieving one of these prestigious jobs entail. In today’s world only the elite will ever have a chance of receiving such an astounding career opportunity. Now, looking back at the top three answers given by children, the reality of becoming a doctor or a lawyer is much more likely than receiving the job as an astronaut. Today the qualifications you must meet to be eligible for this career include: exceling in an array of required skills, passing rigorous physical exams all while finding a unique way to distinguish your self from the thousands of other hopeful applicants. When asking former astronaut Robert Lee Gibson about his experiences at NASA one question came to mind, “ What do you tell little kids when they say that they want to be an astronaut?” He said, I always tell each and every one of them the same thing, “ excel in school, get your pilot license, and learn how to play the piano.” He believes that having a well-rounded application is the only way that NASA will even remember your name. Thousands of applicants apply with the same boring information about all of their advanced degrees, fancy awards, and prestigious schooling. However, they are constantly on the look out for someone unique who will bring a new set of skills to the table. NASA currently receives between 4,000 to 8,000 applications each round, and out of all of those applicants only a minute 35 are selected. In 2013, however, NASA received 6,000 applications and narro... ... middle of paper ... ...t are on missions right now applied to the program multiple times before ever being accepted but they never gave up on their dream and accomplished everything they ever wanted. Entering the space program comes with many challenges that require things to be done over and over again even if they fail every time. Having perseverance is a quality that every one of the team workers at NASA has because science is unknown and experiments do take time. So, after reading all of this is becoming an astronaut really worth all of the trouble and time it takes? That is up to you to figure out. Having to pass rigorous physical exams, acquiring skills uncanny to any other, and having perseverance is what it takes to become part of the one percent that makes it into the unknown that we call space. So if you want to be an astronaut, go out and make all your wildest dreams come true.
In Stevie Cameron’s essay “Our Daughters, Ourselves,” she proclaims “ We tell our bright, shining girls that they can be anything: firefighters, doctors, policewoman, lawyers, scientists, soldiers, athletes, artists. What we don't tell them, yet, is how hard it will be. Maybe, we say to ourselves, by the time they’re older it will be easier for them than it was for us.” My parents raised my sisters and I very congruous with this view. They would always tell us that we could do or be anything we wanted when we got older. However, contrary to Cameron’s apprehension on the matter, my parents always told us how difficult it would be straight from the beginning. They told us how financially strenuous becoming a doctor would be. They told us how
Tom Wolfe writes in the book “The Right Stuff” about early jet pilots that demonstrated extreme bravery, and behaviorisms that enabled them to be part of a furtive group of individuals. It has been said that these men usually assemble in groups among themselves in a way that solicited the men to be a part of a privileged membership. It is these pilots with proven courage, and abilities that will go forward testing the next barrier: space. These tried and tested men have willingly placed themselves in danger day in and day out, yearning for the spot up the ladder to the top of the pyramid. It was not just a job for these pilots to break the sound barrier and beyond, but rather an obsession to become the next man at the top.
Blasting off into space was once an all-male’s game. But on the heels of such trailblazers as Sally Ride, engineer and inventor Ellen Ochoa became part of growing breed of NASA female astronauts who have since helped change all that. Ellen Ochoa, a veteran astronaut, is the 11th director of the Johnson Space Center. She is JSC’s first Hispanic director, and its second female director. In 1993, she made history by becoming the first Hispanic woman from any country to travel in space. She would follow up this journey with three more space flights in 1994, 1999 and 2001, logging more than 700 hours in space. Despite being rejected two times from NASA’s Training Program,
From the time a child enters preschool, teachers begin asking a common question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” That dreaded query has always haunted me, mostly because the way it was redundantly asked put a ton of pressure on me and my peers. The question was like a rusty nail being hammered into our head’s by society. I continuously had the cliché answers of becoming a doctor, teacher, or a police officer, but with serious reservations. After years of not having a clue, I started to think about what I like to do after the stresses of work and school were gone at the end of the day.
When we were little, we thought the word “Career” was not a big deal, but as a senior in high school, the word has become our reality as we start to finish our last semester. The question we’ve been asked all these years is, what do you want to be when you grow up? But our answer is simple: we don’t want to grow up. As an innocent kid it seemed like the time would never come, but it has. It’s time to get serious and really ponder this question.
As a child, dreams of becoming something that often times are believed to be slightly out of reach, such as a pro athlete, or a rock star, or an actor are common. Adults tend to veer juveniles away from aspirations of pursuing these careers because the chance of success in one of those careers is quite
The moment astronauts set foot on Earth’s Moon, in July of 1969, the legacy of the United States’ space program changed forever. Countless Americans watched the launch and landing of Apollo 13 on their televisions with pride on that day, proud of their country for achieving such an insane goal as walking on the Moon. While NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, struggled through obstacle after obstacle, invented new technologies and advanced old ones, placed the first man on the Moon, because the Soviet Union threatened to beat the U.S. to the space frontier, the nation greatly congratulated the feat that began the technological era. After forty-five years, however, the awe Americans held over NASA’s programs dwindled considerably. Although NASA no longer holds the nation in awe over their moon mission achievements, NASA programs remain vital to the United States because they advance everyday technologies, inspire creative visions, and discover greater knowledge for the entire public to benefit from.
Every little kid has high expectations for what they want to be when they grow up. Some dream of becoming president of the United States of America, or becoming an Astronaut, a lot of little kid ’s say that they want to be a Doctor. What kids do not understand is that there are many types of doctors, like an orthopedic surgeon, who works with feet, or an oral surgeon, who works with the mouth. Another similarity to a doctor is a nurse practitioner.
Uncrewed exploration is seen as less expensive, more efficient, and more productive than crewed spaceflight. This is due to a number of factors, the most important of which is the concept of “man-rating” a spacecraft. A man-rating is a certification that the entire vehicle is capable of sustaining life with a reasonable degree of reliability. This certification requires much more testing and therefore more money to reach. Astronauts must also be trained, maintained, and supported. Proponents of crewed spaceflight say that robotic missions lack the judgement of astronauts when selecting scientific samples. They also state that the astronaut themselves could be seen as a scientific instrument, a biological payload in another sense. Microgravity (“zero-g”) and higher or lower gravities than Earth must be adequately explored, and practical data is the most rewarding
Although showing support on such platforms goes a long way, it is important to be passionate about the cause itself. Only when you realize the importance of the space program will you be able to truly value this proposal.
Since the beginning of time, mankind has sought after learning about and exploring the universe. This yearning drove us to achieve such great things as the journey to the moon and the discovery of water on mars. Nowadays, several people argue as to whether or not space exploration is worth the effort. I believe that it is humanity’s instinctual nature to pursue a better understanding of ourselves, and our universe. Further understanding of our universe will lead to the discovery of new technologies and ways to secure humanity’s survivability. As such, this essay will argue that space exploration is a necessity to our kind and that NASA should be progressively more financed.
The first requirement for astronauts is health. You are not aloud to have any disease, because many malfunctions can happen in space. “All astronauts must pass a NASA physical, with specific vision and blood pressure requirement.”(Baker, 2009) NASA has to make sure they will withstand
Over the course of this great country’s history there have been grotesque wars, groundbreaking discoveries, and ultimately new standards set. As a nation, the United States was built on the grounds of exploration. Testing the boundaries and reaching new heights is how the U.S. became what it is today, and is what distinguishes the U.S. from other countries. Now, of course, not every person is a scientist, astronaut, or great explorer. This is nearly impossible simply due to the fact that society branches off into countless different people with varying interests, jobs, and focuses. However, this is the time for the United States to provide its space program with the funding it needs to pave the way for a brighter future for all of mankind.
The search into the unknown has always piqued my interest. From a young age I have always been a science and math oriented individual, and this has inspired me to pursue a major in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Astronomy. After graduation, I am planning on pursuing my Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, and apply my education to a manufacturing career. I am interested in being employed by NASA, but before this search, I was unsure of the specific position that would best suit me. Ultimately, I would like to be able to combine my leadership skills with my education to manage various aerospace related projects, and contribute to the desired journey to Mars.
By being in a very technologically advanced era, scientists can invent revolutionary devices never thought of. NASA is doing that right now and has been doing that since it began. They are not only climbing the stairs in space exploration but in the medical industry, too. Nevertheless, they are forever changing millions of lives by using all they have discovered. Most of all, they are teaching people a life lesson, to always use the things you have for the greater good. NASA has achieved profound success ever since their start in 1958 and they will continue to make discovery and innovation their first and foremost goal for years to come.