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Author
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Topic: Astronauts' how they became astronauts stories
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ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-26-2013 08:12 AM
   
I was just wondering what is the most remarkable and best story of how someone became an astronaut? |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 07-26-2013 11:30 AM
I remember reading how Norm Thagard's wife saw an ad in a paper or magazine and clipped it out and urged him to apply. |
Tykeanaut
Member Posts: 2212
From: Worcestershire, England, UK.
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 07-26-2013 02:26 PM
How about the UK's Helen Sharman listening to the radio on her way home when she heard "Astronaut wanted, no experience neceesary." |
Henry Heatherbank
Member Posts: 244
From: Adelaide, South Australia
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 07-26-2013 06:30 PM
Ron Evans' wife, Jan, applying for him while he was flying missions off a carrier in 'Nam.Judy Resnik seeing the advertisement posted on the student notice board at university. |
Kirsten
Member Posts: 536
From: Delft, Netherlands
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 07-27-2013 03:46 PM
After German astronaut Ulf Merbold had applied for the Spacelab program, his application papers had gotten lost somewhere at the German space agency and were only recovered and taken into consideration after he had phoned them and asked if they had received his application. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 07-27-2013 03:51 PM
Neil Armstrong's application supposedly arrived a day or two after the application deadline, but NASA colleagues on the selection board who wanted him in the program slipped it into the pile anyway. |
alanh_7
Member Posts: 1252
From: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 07-27-2013 04:46 PM
Ham the Astro-Chimp. He was drafted  |
YankeeClipper
Member Posts: 617
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 07-28-2013 12:52 PM
Enos the Astro-Chimp. He was a conscientious objector but was drafted!  |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 07-29-2013 02:31 PM
Didn't Christa McAuliffe mail in her application the last day?Gary Payton wasn't among the first group selected for the MSEs, but someone declined, and Payton filled in his spot. Lodewijk van den Berg slipped in his name because they needed a round number (or certain number) of applicants. He figured he wouldn't get selected, but he did. |
ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 07-31-2013 01:53 AM
That's great thank you for some really interesting stories.In terms of journey to be become as astronaut who has the most interesting story e.g. Rick Husband was selected on his third attempt and had to go through many other assignments and setbacks. |
YankeeClipper
Member Posts: 617
From: Dublin, Ireland
Registered: Mar 2011
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posted 07-31-2013 04:07 AM
Clayton Anderson, subject of a recent cS topic has got to be a leading contender with 15 NASA rejection letters! |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 07-31-2013 04:49 AM
The funniest one of all in my opinion, which he swears is true and was verified to him by PRO Paul Haney, is that of Walt Cunningham, which he calls "The Fourteenth Man" (I tell the full story in "Moon Bound"). Apparently the selection group had chosen 13 candidates for Group 3 and at their final meeting Max Faget said that they simply could not select 13 astronauts, because of the superstition attached to that number. In fact he was quite insistent. Eventually Deke Slayton gave in and went back to the finalist folders, which were ranked 1 to 36 and pulled out the next one, saying, "Here he is then; this is the next guy in line." So the group became 14, and Walt Cunningham was that Fourteenth Man. |
Richard Witt
New Member Posts: 5
From: Oklahoma City, OK
Registered: May 2013
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posted 08-01-2013 06:46 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:
Gary Payton wasn't among the first group selected for the MSEs, but someone declined, and Payton filled in his spot.
Which reminds me, Leroy Chiao is one person who's mentioned that he first got a rejection call, then the next day was called back and told that a spot had opened up, and was asked if he was still interested in joining. So, it seems like there's been at least one case of someone out there turning down an offer to become a NASA astronaut. |
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