How to recruit astronauts
The most important space news of the past week is a new recruitment for the cosmonaut Roscosmos. Only for the second time in the history of Russian cosmonautics for filing an application, one does not need to be a military pilot, work at RSC Energia or the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The beginning of the new selection is an excellent occasion to talk about how astronauts and astronauts were recruited at different times.
The cosmonaut corps of Russia in April 2016, freeze frame video
If in a magical way to swap the first space units of the USSR and the USA and submit their documents for the selection going then to cosmonauts / astronauts, then for the most part both teams would not be able to pass the selection in another country.
The first cosmonaut detachment of the USSR, 1960, archive RGANTD
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In the US, controversy was raging about which professions were best suited to become astronauts. Even divers and stuntmen were considered suitable. But the will of President Eisenhower chose the specialty of a military test pilot. This choice had another serious plus - the number of potential candidates was reduced to a convenient number of no more than a thousand, besides the military could be selected in an atmosphere of strict secrecy. The requirements for the future astronaut included higher education (at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent), age up to 40 years and a flight time of at least 1500 hours. If we impose these requirements on the Soviet first detachment, only Belyaev and Komarov managed to graduate from the air force academies before enrolling in the cosmonaut detachment, and only Komarov worked as a test pilot. It is difficult to say whether Vladimir Komarov managed to fly 1500 hours in 1960, but according to the known criteria only he could receive a secret invitation to the selection.
"Seven" Mercury "" - the first detachment of US astronauts, photo NASA
In the USSR, future astronauts were searched among fighter pilots without high demands on education. But more stringent than the Americans, there were requirements for growth (USSR - 175, USA - 180) and by age (USSR-35, USA - 40). As a result, the first seven American astronauts for the most part are older than the marginal requirements. Only Grissom, Carpenter and Cooper are younger than 35 at the beginning of 1960. But Carpenter is eliminated from the competition because he flew on patrol aircraft, not fighters. But Grissom and Cooper both flew just fighters before moving into test pilots. In terms of height, both of them also pass, Grissom with his 1.65 with a reserve, and Cooper with 1.73 - butt.
It is curious, but if you move both squads into the present, then Roskosmos, too, will not be selected for the most part. Americans will cut themselves at the same age limit of 35 years, and many Soviet cosmonauts will not even go through as military pilots, because they mostly completed regular, rather than higher, pilot schools, and in this year’s selection requirements there is a higher flight education. For example, it would not make sense for Gagarin to apply - he graduated from a regular flight school and by 1960 had only 2 years of flight experience (with the required three today).
After the first sets, the space agencies each developed its own system. In the United States, open kits were conducted, but with fairly stringent requirements, which only test-test pilots initially met. However, there were exceptions, for example, in 1965, six scientists took on the fourth set, and, for example, Harrison Schmidt (Apollo 17) after enrolling in the detachment learned to fly an airplane. The turning point was the eighth set in 1978, when many space astronauts were needed for the Space Shuttle, and not all of them had to be pilots. Requirements for non-pilots reduced, and this set was a record number of applications - as many as 8000. 35 people were selected, among whom were both military pilots with combat experience and civilian scientists. As a motto, the class chose the phrase “We deliver” (“We deliver”). And they really delivered, in the direct and humorous sense. The class of 1978 established many “first” achievements for US space exploration — the first woman, the first African American, the first mother in space, and others. And the humorous component is beautifully described in the memoirs of an astronaut from this set of Mike Mullein "Riding a rocket: the outrageous stories of the astronaut Space Shuttle."
Class 1978, Mullein third left in the first row. NASA Photos
Shuttles flew frequently and with large crews, so it was golden time for American astronauts - the kits were held regularly, and many people were recruited. In 1996, as many as 44 new people were enrolled in the squadron - 35 Americans and 9 foreigners for joint flights. Even after the Columbia disaster, when it became clear that the shuttles' career was over, another set was made in 2004, and out of 11 people, 10 managed to fly on the shuttles. But then it became clear that such large units of NASA are no longer needed, sets have become less and less in volume. In 2009, 14 people scored for expeditions to the ISS, half of which managed to fly. In October 2011, NASA announced a new set of astronauts. As mentioned, the astronauts of this set will have to go to the asteroid on the new ship Orion, so there was no shortage in the applications. In just two months, NASA received 6372 applications, only in the 1978 set there were more. Of these, selected 8 people - 6 military and two civilians, who became the class in 2013, 21 in a row in NASA.
21 astronauts set NASA, photos NASA
Now there is a selection process of 22 groups of astronauts. The mention of Mars as a possible target for the flights of the winners of this set led to a record number of applications - 18,300, more than two times more than in 1978. The call for applications was completed in February 2016, work is now underway with the finalists, the final results will be announced in the summer. As expected, a group of 8-14 people will be selected. Interestingly, in the selection criteria NASA completely removed the age limit. It probably remains, but hidden - with so many applications, even if you select births on the same day, there will be fierce competition among them. The requirements for health and growth also look low - the pressure is not higher than 140/90 and the vision, which can be adjusted to 20/20 lenses. But, again, with a competition of two thousand people, it will not be difficult to select completely healthy people. The education criterion is not high - only a bachelor’s degree, but in 2013 the PhD (an analogue of our candidate of science) and a person with two bachelor’s degrees and one master’s degree were selected. Additionally, pilots require 1,000 hours of piloting of jet aircraft.
To date, 44 active astronauts are listed on the NASA website.
In the USSR, departmental detachments of cosmonauts appeared - military pilots from the Air Force, engineers from RSC Energia, and a small detachment of doctors from the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. And the sets in them were closed - the necessary criterion was to serve as a military pilot or work in a particular enterprise, there was no point in announcing the recruitment widely. On the other hand, the secret from this mechanism was not made, and a person who wants to become an astronaut could go to military pilots, engineers of the RKEC or doctors of the Institute of Physics of the Humanities and Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Of those mentioned on the website of the Cosmonauts Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin is the largest set of the third set in 1965, when they selected 23 people. Alas, the number of astronauts at first greatly exceeded the number of places on ships, and only six of them from this group flew into space. In the future, the situation improved somewhat, and most of the past selection went to the flight.
The last closed additions of the squadron were the 2006 and 2010 kits. And if you read the story about the 2006 recruitment process, then a sad picture arises - there were few people who wanted astronauts, and of those who wanted, many did not pass according to medical requirements. It even reached the campaign trips to specialized universities in search of senior students. And the students, in turn, did not want to either go to the cosmonauts or work at RSC Energia, knowing the low salaries there. As a result, in 2006, 7 people took part in the detachment - 5 from the Air Force and 2 from the RKKE. On the other hand, it was precisely in this detachment that Elena Serova, who became the first Russian woman on the ISS, entered the squadron and completed her career as an astronaut last year, retraining in the State Duma. The names of the astronauts of the 2006 recruitment are well known - they flew recently (Misurkin, Ovchinin) or are in orbit now (Novitsky, Ryzhikov).
The set of 2006, photo Roscosmos
In the 2010 recruitment, the majority of candidates were represented by RSC Energia, in the end eight people were selected, of whom no one has yet flown, and two have already left the squad.
In 2011, the Russian cosmonauts were reorganized by combining three separate units into one. The military suffered most of all because they had to resign from military service and lose the accumulation of specific military bonuses. Alas, this decision does not seem rational, in NASA military astronauts retain their military status, often continue their service after leaving NASA and grow to high ranks.
Well, the last complete set was in 2012, the first open to all comers. In addition to restrictions on age (up to 33 years) and height / weight, candidates were required to have a higher education and five years of professional experience, of which three are in one place. Also indicated the requirements for physical training and attached a large list of tests that needed to be collected independently. When the appointed application deadline ended, it turned out that only 113 of them had arrived, and the acceptance of applications was extended by almost two months. As a result, 304 applications were received, of which : 42 employees of the space industry, 153 applicants from other organizations, 17 military personnel (4 from the space industry), 24 women (4 from the space industry). 51 people were admitted to the full-time stage of the competition, of which 10 people passed all tests. Two were refused at the competition commission, and 8 people entered the squad. To date, two have already left the cosmonaut corps.
Cosmonauts set of 2012, photo CPK
Now on the site of the CPC , 32 astronauts are listed as active. According to the latest news on the “Cosmonautics News” forum, Sergei Volkov leaves the squadron, and it turns out that the active astronauts are31 UPD: the list does not include the Kaleri and Vinogradov cosmonauts from the RKKE that are not yet formally listed in the squadron (cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov is listed on the site as having no flight experience, but he is now working on the ISS).
Also worth noting is the cosmonaut squad of China. There is little information on it, but it is known that the detachment began to be recruited in the late 90s, and military pilots were considered candidates. According to rumors, in 2017, China can spend another set of astronauts to form the crews of the future modular space station. In this case, 2017 will be the year of the recruitment of astronauts in the three space powers simultaneously.
In the selection of this year, the requirements for age somewhat weakened, increasing to 35 years. Other requirements remained similar to the selection of 2012:
This time, prudently, the deadlines for accepting applications are not clearly marked, in oral interviews it is said that it will last until the end of the year. On the one hand, due to the reduction of Russian crews, those who pass the selection will have to wait longer for their flight, not the usual ten years, and maybe all fifteen. The astronauts' salary is not a record - from 80 to 200 thousand , and beginners will clearly receive at a minimum. On the other hand, those who passed the competition will be able to fly on the new Federation ship, even preparing for the flight is a unique experience, and those who dream of space will get a chance to realize their dream. It is also curious how many applications will go to the competition - it seems that space is now more popular than before. In general, it will be interesting to look at the course of the selection, and who will eventually win the competition.
The cosmonaut corps of Russia in April 2016, freeze frame video
First then and today
If in a magical way to swap the first space units of the USSR and the USA and submit their documents for the selection going then to cosmonauts / astronauts, then for the most part both teams would not be able to pass the selection in another country.
The first cosmonaut detachment of the USSR, 1960, archive RGANTD
')
In the US, controversy was raging about which professions were best suited to become astronauts. Even divers and stuntmen were considered suitable. But the will of President Eisenhower chose the specialty of a military test pilot. This choice had another serious plus - the number of potential candidates was reduced to a convenient number of no more than a thousand, besides the military could be selected in an atmosphere of strict secrecy. The requirements for the future astronaut included higher education (at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent), age up to 40 years and a flight time of at least 1500 hours. If we impose these requirements on the Soviet first detachment, only Belyaev and Komarov managed to graduate from the air force academies before enrolling in the cosmonaut detachment, and only Komarov worked as a test pilot. It is difficult to say whether Vladimir Komarov managed to fly 1500 hours in 1960, but according to the known criteria only he could receive a secret invitation to the selection.
"Seven" Mercury "" - the first detachment of US astronauts, photo NASA
In the USSR, future astronauts were searched among fighter pilots without high demands on education. But more stringent than the Americans, there were requirements for growth (USSR - 175, USA - 180) and by age (USSR-35, USA - 40). As a result, the first seven American astronauts for the most part are older than the marginal requirements. Only Grissom, Carpenter and Cooper are younger than 35 at the beginning of 1960. But Carpenter is eliminated from the competition because he flew on patrol aircraft, not fighters. But Grissom and Cooper both flew just fighters before moving into test pilots. In terms of height, both of them also pass, Grissom with his 1.65 with a reserve, and Cooper with 1.73 - butt.
It is curious, but if you move both squads into the present, then Roskosmos, too, will not be selected for the most part. Americans will cut themselves at the same age limit of 35 years, and many Soviet cosmonauts will not even go through as military pilots, because they mostly completed regular, rather than higher, pilot schools, and in this year’s selection requirements there is a higher flight education. For example, it would not make sense for Gagarin to apply - he graduated from a regular flight school and by 1960 had only 2 years of flight experience (with the required three today).
Historical changes
After the first sets, the space agencies each developed its own system. In the United States, open kits were conducted, but with fairly stringent requirements, which only test-test pilots initially met. However, there were exceptions, for example, in 1965, six scientists took on the fourth set, and, for example, Harrison Schmidt (Apollo 17) after enrolling in the detachment learned to fly an airplane. The turning point was the eighth set in 1978, when many space astronauts were needed for the Space Shuttle, and not all of them had to be pilots. Requirements for non-pilots reduced, and this set was a record number of applications - as many as 8000. 35 people were selected, among whom were both military pilots with combat experience and civilian scientists. As a motto, the class chose the phrase “We deliver” (“We deliver”). And they really delivered, in the direct and humorous sense. The class of 1978 established many “first” achievements for US space exploration — the first woman, the first African American, the first mother in space, and others. And the humorous component is beautifully described in the memoirs of an astronaut from this set of Mike Mullein "Riding a rocket: the outrageous stories of the astronaut Space Shuttle."
Class 1978, Mullein third left in the first row. NASA Photos
Shuttles flew frequently and with large crews, so it was golden time for American astronauts - the kits were held regularly, and many people were recruited. In 1996, as many as 44 new people were enrolled in the squadron - 35 Americans and 9 foreigners for joint flights. Even after the Columbia disaster, when it became clear that the shuttles' career was over, another set was made in 2004, and out of 11 people, 10 managed to fly on the shuttles. But then it became clear that such large units of NASA are no longer needed, sets have become less and less in volume. In 2009, 14 people scored for expeditions to the ISS, half of which managed to fly. In October 2011, NASA announced a new set of astronauts. As mentioned, the astronauts of this set will have to go to the asteroid on the new ship Orion, so there was no shortage in the applications. In just two months, NASA received 6372 applications, only in the 1978 set there were more. Of these, selected 8 people - 6 military and two civilians, who became the class in 2013, 21 in a row in NASA.
21 astronauts set NASA, photos NASA
Now there is a selection process of 22 groups of astronauts. The mention of Mars as a possible target for the flights of the winners of this set led to a record number of applications - 18,300, more than two times more than in 1978. The call for applications was completed in February 2016, work is now underway with the finalists, the final results will be announced in the summer. As expected, a group of 8-14 people will be selected. Interestingly, in the selection criteria NASA completely removed the age limit. It probably remains, but hidden - with so many applications, even if you select births on the same day, there will be fierce competition among them. The requirements for health and growth also look low - the pressure is not higher than 140/90 and the vision, which can be adjusted to 20/20 lenses. But, again, with a competition of two thousand people, it will not be difficult to select completely healthy people. The education criterion is not high - only a bachelor’s degree, but in 2013 the PhD (an analogue of our candidate of science) and a person with two bachelor’s degrees and one master’s degree were selected. Additionally, pilots require 1,000 hours of piloting of jet aircraft.
To date, 44 active astronauts are listed on the NASA website.
In the USSR, departmental detachments of cosmonauts appeared - military pilots from the Air Force, engineers from RSC Energia, and a small detachment of doctors from the Institute of Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. And the sets in them were closed - the necessary criterion was to serve as a military pilot or work in a particular enterprise, there was no point in announcing the recruitment widely. On the other hand, the secret from this mechanism was not made, and a person who wants to become an astronaut could go to military pilots, engineers of the RKEC or doctors of the Institute of Physics of the Humanities and Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Of those mentioned on the website of the Cosmonauts Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin is the largest set of the third set in 1965, when they selected 23 people. Alas, the number of astronauts at first greatly exceeded the number of places on ships, and only six of them from this group flew into space. In the future, the situation improved somewhat, and most of the past selection went to the flight.
The last closed additions of the squadron were the 2006 and 2010 kits. And if you read the story about the 2006 recruitment process, then a sad picture arises - there were few people who wanted astronauts, and of those who wanted, many did not pass according to medical requirements. It even reached the campaign trips to specialized universities in search of senior students. And the students, in turn, did not want to either go to the cosmonauts or work at RSC Energia, knowing the low salaries there. As a result, in 2006, 7 people took part in the detachment - 5 from the Air Force and 2 from the RKKE. On the other hand, it was precisely in this detachment that Elena Serova, who became the first Russian woman on the ISS, entered the squadron and completed her career as an astronaut last year, retraining in the State Duma. The names of the astronauts of the 2006 recruitment are well known - they flew recently (Misurkin, Ovchinin) or are in orbit now (Novitsky, Ryzhikov).
The set of 2006, photo Roscosmos
In the 2010 recruitment, the majority of candidates were represented by RSC Energia, in the end eight people were selected, of whom no one has yet flown, and two have already left the squad.
In 2011, the Russian cosmonauts were reorganized by combining three separate units into one. The military suffered most of all because they had to resign from military service and lose the accumulation of specific military bonuses. Alas, this decision does not seem rational, in NASA military astronauts retain their military status, often continue their service after leaving NASA and grow to high ranks.
Well, the last complete set was in 2012, the first open to all comers. In addition to restrictions on age (up to 33 years) and height / weight, candidates were required to have a higher education and five years of professional experience, of which three are in one place. Also indicated the requirements for physical training and attached a large list of tests that needed to be collected independently. When the appointed application deadline ended, it turned out that only 113 of them had arrived, and the acceptance of applications was extended by almost two months. As a result, 304 applications were received, of which : 42 employees of the space industry, 153 applicants from other organizations, 17 military personnel (4 from the space industry), 24 women (4 from the space industry). 51 people were admitted to the full-time stage of the competition, of which 10 people passed all tests. Two were refused at the competition commission, and 8 people entered the squad. To date, two have already left the cosmonaut corps.
Cosmonauts set of 2012, photo CPK
Now on the site of the CPC , 32 astronauts are listed as active. According to the latest news on the “Cosmonautics News” forum, Sergei Volkov leaves the squadron, and it turns out that the active astronauts are
Also worth noting is the cosmonaut squad of China. There is little information on it, but it is known that the detachment began to be recruited in the late 90s, and military pilots were considered candidates. According to rumors, in 2017, China can spend another set of astronauts to form the crews of the future modular space station. In this case, 2017 will be the year of the recruitment of astronauts in the three space powers simultaneously.
Conclusion
In the selection of this year, the requirements for age somewhat weakened, increasing to 35 years. Other requirements remained similar to the selection of 2012:
- A candidate for a cosmonaut candidate in the Russian Federation may be a citizen of the Russian Federation.
- The age of applicants should not exceed 35 years.
- Applicants must have a higher education in engineering, scientific or flight specialties and have work experience. Priority in the selection are those who have experience in the aviation and rocket and space industry of the Russian Federation.
- Applicants must meet the following requirements, which are necessary for the subsequent preparation for space flight, in particular:
- have the ability to study space technology (to demonstrate the ability to understand the basics and principles of the construction of technical systems, the understanding of their physical nature, the ability to memorize technical information, terminology and technical characteristics);
- have knowledge of interaction with computer equipment;
- know a foreign language (English) within the requirements of the programs of non-linguistic universities of the Russian Federation, etc.
A full list of requirements for candidates and a list of required documents can be found on the website of ROSKOSMOS State Corporation and the CPC.
This time, prudently, the deadlines for accepting applications are not clearly marked, in oral interviews it is said that it will last until the end of the year. On the one hand, due to the reduction of Russian crews, those who pass the selection will have to wait longer for their flight, not the usual ten years, and maybe all fifteen. The astronauts' salary is not a record - from 80 to 200 thousand , and beginners will clearly receive at a minimum. On the other hand, those who passed the competition will be able to fly on the new Federation ship, even preparing for the flight is a unique experience, and those who dream of space will get a chance to realize their dream. It is also curious how many applications will go to the competition - it seems that space is now more popular than before. In general, it will be interesting to look at the course of the selection, and who will eventually win the competition.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/402381/
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