Comment by trothamel | Hacker News Reader

Comment by trothamel | Hacker News Reader

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They don't need a reason to send a programmer into space.

What they need is to send people into space that are smart enough to understand the myriad systems around the, maintain them, and conduct the various experiments and other tasks planned. Basically, they're looking for smart people that they can train to have the needed skills, rather than people that have the needed skills outright. (Since nobody actually does.)

A pure CS degree might put you at (an overcomeable) disadvantage, since they seem to value the ability to do experimental science. But it can and has been overcome, see:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/chamitoff.html

Also, note that astronauts tend to be selected late in life - mid-30s and early-40s - since NASA likes accomplished people.

Steve Swanson is a CS PhD: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/swanson.html

That's an even better example. Thanks.

Though his Bachelor's was still in Engineering - Physics.

True. From my perspective (I train astronauts and work in Mission Control) it's most important to be able to quickly learn a wide range of general engineering principles. You need to be able to understand how the International Space Station works, which in some cases requires a computer background and in other cases more of a mechanical background (and everywhere in between). Astronauts are constantly in some training program learning (or re-training) some aspect of their job. In some respect they are full time students.

> Also, note that astronauts tend to be selected late in life - mid-30s and early-40s

Late in life? Can't speak for everyone, but my life expectancy is considerably longer than my early-40s.

Later than people think, maybe? My point is that they're expect to have a successful career first, rather than it being a job people apply to directly from college or grad school.

Not if you are an astronaut ;-)

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