Becoming an astronaut is neither simple nor straightforward; there are no schools for astronauts or university courses. So how do you become an astronaut and what qualifications and qualities do you need?
Space agencies are looking for the best people possible. Training an astronaut is a considerable investment for any agency; training is lengthy and expensive, and the support needed both before and during a space mission is costly.
It takes years to organise a space mission and altogether hundreds of people are involved in preparing the astronauts and the spacecraft. Astronauts are pivotal to the success of a mission but flight opportunities are limited, so space agencies want to be sure that the astronaut selected will make the best possible use of the precious time they will spend in space.