Comments on: Space trivia http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/11/16/space-trivia/ Random samplings from a universe of ideas. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:54:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Thomas Larsson http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/11/16/space-trivia/comment-page-1/#comment-109530 Thomas Larsson Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:02:39 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=3237#comment-109530 One of the astronauts from the previous mission in September 2009, Christer Fuglesang, has a PhD in particle physics and a background at CERN. We overlapped quite a bit at the university. One of the astronauts from the previous mission in September 2009, Christer Fuglesang, has a PhD in particle physics and a background at CERN. We overlapped quite a bit at the university.

]]> By: Spiv http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/11/16/space-trivia/comment-page-1/#comment-109508 Spiv Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:36:24 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=3237#comment-109508 Hope you had a good time, it was a great launch. Also, I'm not sure where the football players trivia came from, but I don't think that's exactly true. I only see one who had a football career on this flight, but there may be omitted info. What this says to me about the qualifications is that you need to be a very motivated person who takes on multiple challenging tasks at every opportunity, and that it's required to be an athlete on some level in the process. You need some workhorses up there who can operate at a high physical level for 8+ hours, without food (during space walks) and not make mistakes. So you've got: Pilot (USMC, plus aerospace degree) Pilot 2, + electrical/propulsion (USMC, plus EE) Materials (Chem-E, MS materials science, also had a stint with the detroit lions) Aviation systems (USMC, MS in Av. Systems)(will be doing an extra-vehicular) Pilot 3, (USMC, MS Aero-E)(will be doing an extra-vehicular) Medical (Harvard, UC Berkeley, and MIT for a chem-E degree PhD on top)(will be doing an extra-vehicular) And #7 is an engine specialist we're bringing back from ISS. Hope you had a good time, it was a great launch.

Also, I’m not sure where the football players trivia came from, but I don’t think that’s exactly true. I only see one who had a football career on this flight, but there may be omitted info.

What this says to me about the qualifications is that you need to be a very motivated person who takes on multiple challenging tasks at every opportunity, and that it’s required to be an athlete on some level in the process. You need some workhorses up there who can operate at a high physical level for 8+ hours, without food (during space walks) and not make mistakes.

So you’ve got:
Pilot (USMC, plus aerospace degree)
Pilot 2, + electrical/propulsion (USMC, plus EE)
Materials (Chem-E, MS materials science, also had a stint with the detroit lions)
Aviation systems (USMC, MS in Av. Systems)(will be doing an extra-vehicular)
Pilot 3, (USMC, MS Aero-E)(will be doing an extra-vehicular)
Medical (Harvard, UC Berkeley, and MIT for a chem-E degree PhD on top)(will be doing an extra-vehicular)

And #7 is an engine specialist we’re bringing back from ISS.

]]> By: Regina http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2009/11/16/space-trivia/comment-page-1/#comment-109506 Regina Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:03:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=3237#comment-109506 Thanks for the updates. I just watched the launch from the roof of my building, but from Gainesville it's just a bright orange light in the sky. It's still exciting though. I hope you had fun! Thanks for the updates. I just watched the launch from the roof of my building, but from Gainesville it’s just a bright orange light in the sky. It’s still exciting though. I hope you had fun!

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