Do astronauts need to be smart? Let's be honest, we aren't

>>8021760
you're right

we should send garbagemen into space

>>8021760
>i'm better than astronauts they're not even smart like me huh mom

>>8021760
Its all about knowing the right people.
You are basement armchair scientist that only knows how to scratch his ass.
Shut up and let people do as they please.

Great idea OP. While we're at it let's let arabs pilot all our big explosive planes. Oh and I bet those dumb North Koreans would be perfect for our aircraft carriers!

Why wouldn't we send our best and brightest with such a good track record of survival?

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probably bait but...

The earliest astronauts were elite fighter pilots, because that's what it took to fly early spacecraft.
Today's astronauts still typically come from an Air Force background, but what keeps them and their ship in one piece is the ability to take a bunch of sensor readouts and determine what the correct course of action is. They need to be smart and they need to have a good technical background, but most importantly they need to think and react quickly, and they train intensively to heighten their abilities in that regard. The brainiacs down at Mission Control can't react as quickly because they're removed from the action and subject to the vagaries of communication transmissions; all they can really do is advise and provide technical information when needed.

I highly recommend "An Astronaut's Guide to Life On Earth", by Col. Chris Hadfield, the famous Canadian Ehstronaut.

>>8021787
>most importantly they need to think and react quickly
wait, so am I actually correct in that the people we send up there arent the smartest?

Do they get good grades and stuff? What's the average undergrad GPA of an astronaut?

>>8021787
>because that's what it took to fly early spacecraft.

lol no. they asked for a complicated flight controls. the engineers thought they were fucking nuts for wanting that shit, they were just going to automate the fuck out if it like the russians, but no, our boys had to have flight controls. and a WINDOW.

>>8021789

>What about their GPA? Their IQ?

They are obviously very talented people who can, in the very least, think very quickly and resourcefully so who gives a fuck.

>>8021789
they are the smartest, but they are also swole as fuck chads who can take a beating. literally the best of the best.

>undergrad
most of them have masters or PhD's.

Most Astronauts are people who got accepted into Engineering degrees through their country's equivalent of a regular Officer training program, graduating into the Air Force Pilot profession.

They are very smart, and highly skilled individuals usually sporting a decorated military career.

>>8021760
No, they don't need to be smart, but it helps them bring themselves back if something goes wrong. Also the smarter they are the better they are going to be able to listen to complex directions and perform tasks quickly and efficiently given the information available to them.

Plus, part of it is just they want to go into space. Hell, I want to go into space because just the idea of it is cool as fuck.

Pretty much see >>8021787

>>8021760
>space spics
topkek, they'd harvest all the copper wire long before launch

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>>8021760
Bu...but we did no ?

Consider reading the novel The Martian by Andy Weir

>>8021760
>we aren't gonna strap our best and brightest
What do you mean by "we", Peasant?

>>8023414
Oh I'm sorry, do you work for NASA?

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>>8021763

>>8021789
Depends on which class of astronaut you're talking about.
Pilots/Commanders are usually former military test pilots with engineering degrees from service academies, which already puts them in the top 0.001% of aviators.

Mission specialists usually just have to have a science degree and a certain amount of qualifying work experience to be considered as a candidate.
Being smart, while important, obviously isn't everything. Being able to work well under pressure, resourcefulness, and quick thinking are highly desirable traits you want in a person you'll be launching into space.

Of course, if you're browsing this thread between bong hits while preparing to graduate on an English degree with a 2.2 GPA, don't get your hopes up.

>>8024131
>preparing to graduate on an English degree with a 2.2 GPA
what about engineering degree with 2.2 gpa

>>8024132
Depends on how good your resume is. I think a GPA that low would be likely to get screened out before a human sees it, unless there's some outstanding shit on it.

Basically, you need to be a fit, short scientist that can be trained well.

>>8021787
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Leonov

You know what you are talking about. You had to be a smart person, but a completely crazy person.

>>8021760
I laughed. Who says satire is never apparent unless it's pointed out explicitly?

>>8021787
This 100%. Early astronauts had to be ballsy as fuck. Many times they were required to identify, diagnose, and correct problems they encountered in flight completely independently. Which is why NASA preferred to recruit highly decorated military test pilots. Not only were they trained pilots, but they had already proven they were extremely resourceful, creative, and cool under pressure.
Just watch the movie Apollo 13 to get an idea of what type of person NASA recruited. Hell, listen to the audio tape of the accident and how calm they sounded after their fucking oxygen supply exploded 200,000 miles from Earth.
>Jim Lovell - Test Pilot
>Jack Swigert - Test Pilot
>Fred Haise - Test Pilot