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