So You want to be an Astronaut

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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.

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