What are the physical requirements needed for the Astronaut Candidate Training Program?
Astronaut candidates must be in excellent physical condition. At Johnson Space Center, they are required to complete military water survival prior to beginning their flying syllabus and become SCUBA qualified to prepare them for extravehicular activity training. Consequently, all Astronaut Candidates will be required to pass a swimming test during their first month of training. They must swim 3 lengths of a 25M pool without stopping, then swim 3 lengths of the pool in a flightsuit and tennis shoes. The strokes allowed are freestyle, breaststroke, and sidestroke. There is no time limit. They must also tread water continuously for 10 minutes. In addition, astronaut candidates must pass medical exams by NASA physicians and must have keen vision. Mission Specialist Astronaut Candidates and Pilot Astronaut Candidates have additional requirements, which vary slightly. What is the competition like to get into the Astronaut Candidate Training Program? Competition is extremely keen, with an ave
