During my summer holiday this year, I
was lucky enough to take a trip with my family to the Kennedy Space Centre.
Whilst I was there, we watched a short film about the superhuman astronauts and
their dedication toward their jobs. That half an hour film, is what I found
most inspiring.
First of all, the training that the
astronauts are put through is beyond anything I could imagine. The film showed
years and years of training from dawn to dusk with full enthusiasm throughout.
One of the most important themes in the
film was their willingness to risk their lives for the good of their mission
and for scientific research. These people have chosen to be a part of history
in discovering new things which mankind has never seen before. They are the
experts in their field and whilst they could be earning hundreds of thousands
of dollars doing what they do as pilots, they decided to become astronauts,
putting their own lives in other people’s hands. They are risking never seeing
their families again as there are so many possibilities of disaster and when
things do go wrong in space, the consequences are usually fatal. I do not know
how they manage to say goodbye to their families each time they go on a mission
not knowing for certain if they will return. For this reason, I have great
respect for them all.
The work that these astronauts have to
go through is very demanding for normal people like us. Astronauts must have
many varied educational backgrounds such as Engineering, Chemistry, Biology and
Mathematics. They need to have mixed abilities and during candidate selection,
they look for a good mix of strengths.
The final shortlisted candidates need to
pass difficult physical and psychological examinations. An important attribute
to being an astronaut is to be a pleasant person. Imagine having to sleep in a
cramped area, standing up with other men and women! Not only do they have to be
brilliant, brave and selfless, they have to be humble about it too.
