How I Became an Astronaut and How You Can Too

[Music]

how do i become an astronaut

this is one of the most common questions

i’m asked everywhere i go

by every audience because becoming an

astronaut seems so difficult

most assume the answer must be

complicated but actually

it’s straightforward

i’m nasa astronaut drew morgan i’m a

colonel in the u.s army and a medical

doctor

my journey to space led to a dream

career all along the way

in july 2019 i launched to the

international space station

on a russian soyuz rocket from

kazakhstan i lived and worked onboard

the iss for nine months

as part of expedition 60 61 and 62.

our crew performed science experiments

received cargo vehicles

and conducted several spacewalks before

i finally landed back on the earth in

april

2020 so how do you become an astronaut

astronauts are ordinary people from

diverse backgrounds

and a variety of career fields but there

are three things

all astronauts have in common that

brought them to nasa and you can do them

too

first pursue your passion do what you

love

you’ll find the most fulfillment in life

if you study subjects and choose a

career around something you

love doing let the things that you

genuinely enjoy

drive your major career decisions in

life

as a kid i was always inspired by

astronauts and space exploration

but my first love was military service

more than anything i wanted to serve my

country in uniform

and become a leader of character that’s

what i loved

so i decided that the united states

military academy at west point

was where i would follow this passion in

school

i had a wide range of academic interests

and while a cadet at west point i

studied engineering

while preparing for medical school not

because that was typical or even

required but simply because i enjoyed it

later i realized that becoming a medical

doctor was the best use of my talents

and interests and service to my country

in places as far away as afghanistan and

iraq

when you pursue your passion you harness

your motivation and create the energy

and stamina you’ll need to follow a

tough path

when you do what you love you greatly

increase your probability

of success second

excel at what you do whatever you do

do it with excellence for me that meant

pursuing medical specialty training

and gaining experience caring for

patients in the emergency department it

also meant improving my skills as a

soldier

and a leader by staying physically fit

and developing a healthy work-life

balance

it also meant volunteering for the

toughest most dangerous jobs

to excel in what you do seek out

challenge

push beyond your comfort level in your

career and outside of it

this might mean pursuing more education

and opportunities to broaden your

understanding of the world around you

even if it’s not directly related to

your job

it could mean learning another language

living in a foreign country

volunteering in your community seeking

out mentors a few steps ahead of you

or mentoring others a few behind you

become a well-rounded person

and you become more likely to excel

third become the ultimate team player

learn what makes a great team learn what

it takes to be a great team member

and a team leader as astronauts we

collectively call these ideas

expeditionary skills these are the

attributes that make us successful when

living in close quarters with our

crewmates

in space for long periods of time my

introduction to being part of a team was

in high school sports

and then later as a cadet on west

point’s parachute team

i continued to build expeditionary

skills in my military career serving in

special forces units

where we placed a premium on being an

excellent teammate

then in my initial astronaut candidate

training we used opportunities like

outdoor leadership schools to hone the

skill

even more when astronauts train for

space missions and while we live and

work on the iss

we practice these skills putting others

needs ahead of your own

being receptive to feedback and

constantly looking for areas of growth

within yourself

we value these skills as much as we do

the technical skills of spacewalking

or operating the space station’s robotic

arm

our goal is to forge a team that is

better than the sum of its parts

and we do that by being team players

so it’s straightforward pursue your

passion

excel at what you do and become the

ultimate team player

doesn’t sound too hard right aspiring to

become an astronaut is an

admirable goal but the reality is that

many variables factor in to who nasa

chooses

so i can’t guarantee that these three

things will lead to becoming an

astronaut

but i can guarantee that they’ll lead to

a fulfilling successful career

your dream career at astra

you