How to be an ASTRONAUT: ISS worker reveals what you need to take the next giant leap for mankind
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So much has happened since Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon in 1969.
Today, we have the International Space Station, plans to send manned missions to Mars, telescopes that can see beyond our solar system and agencies across the world aiming to put men and women into space.
If you would love to explore space as a career, you couldn't have picked a better time, especially given the number of private space tourism companies looking to send members of the public high above the Earth.
Shoot for the stars: If you would love to explore space as a career, you couldn't have picked a better time, especially given the number of private space tourism companies looking to send people into orbit
All About Space magazine has taken a look at what it takes to be an astronaut, with an exclusive interview with Major Jeremy Hansen about his day to day life.
A word of warning: it's not going to be an easy ride and you'll be entering a competitive arena of the best and the brightest.
If there were ever a stark example of why it pays to absorb as much as possible at school, then the space industry is it.
Inspiration: Having been selected in May 2009 as one of 14 members of the 20th Nasa astronaut class, Major Jeremy Hansen (pictured) is one of four active Canadian astronauts
Karen Nyberg, a mechanical engineer aboard the Expedition 36 to the International Space Station, is pictured here washing her hair in space
Multi-skilled: Astronaut Jeremy Hansen learns how to take photos in the darkness of a cave to prepare for his trip on the ISS
Unless you have a solid background in science and maths, showing great aptitude for both, many doors will be closed to you. It may sound negative, but it's very much the harsh truth.
For those that make it through, the universe is very much your oyster, so to speak. Space is one of the most exciting industries in the solar system with new advances and fresh breakthroughs taking place regularly.
Whether you become an astronaut and find yourself on a rocket hurtling to a far-flung planet or whether you love to bury your head in research and test incredible theories, the possibilities are wide-open.
Who knows – you may even be the one who finally discovers life on another planet.
Astronauts have a clear aim: to shoot into the darkness of space to explore and further human knowledge of the universe.
Of all of the jobs in the space industry, this is potentially the most exciting and certainly the most-recognisable role.
But it's not an easy job to get and there are certain barriers in your way before you even start. Although jobs are increasingly available via private companies, opportunities tend to be restricted given that agencies recruit from their own citizenship.
So to be a Nasa astronaut, you need to be an American citizen, Esa looks for Europeans and the Russian Space Agency wants Russians (Russian astronauts are called cosmonauts). What's more, each one is after a high standard of candidate.
The cost of training an astronaut is huge, so they need to find the very best people from the outset. This is not a role you can learn at university and it will take years of preparation before a successful candidate jets off into space. Even then, flight opportunities are limited.
The latest issue of All About Space magazine (right) takes a look at what it takes to be an astronaut, with an exclusive interview with Major Jeremy Hansen about his day to day life (left)
Chris Hadfield, the former commander on the ISS, pictured playing with water and the lack of gravity
Yet for those who are successful, a career as an astronaut is hugely rewarding. There are two types – pilots and mission specialists – but both suit people who want to learn and who know how to learn.
Be prepared: Jeremy Hansen's pictured in his first run in Nasa's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory
Pilots will fly the shuttle and dock it with the ISS, or another satellite that needs servicing or retrieving. These pilots tend to be picked from the armed forces.
Mission astronauts accompany the pilots and work on various research tasks. They will also repair and maintain equipment. The role evolves and needs fresh knowledge and understanding as the years go by.
The job also needs operational skills since astronauts are often put in a position where things aren't going their way, making life uncomfortable, intimidating and scary.
The key is how people react to the situation they are in – space agencies want people who can separate emotion from the situation and think critically, looking for solutions.
This means the training is varied and the job is demanding, fun and challenging. Astronauts will find themselves in extreme situations on Earth and in space, whether it is being flown as part of a team to the Arctic on an aeroplane and left for days at a time to explore and survive, or being stationed on the ISS where they experience weightlessness in cramped conditions. It's all part and parcel of this amazing job.
In space, it's hard to think about a typical day since an astronaut will see 15 dawns every 24 hours. As well as trying to get into a new sleeping rhythm, astronauts need to work.
On the ISS this may involve supervising experiments or maintaining station equipment. Work on the ISS is supported by astronauts on the ground and that is important in furthering space exploration.
They look at the effects of space on the human body, looking at bone-loss in microgravity, or at radiation levels. Space walks and robotics figure highly and it all helps to develop systems and processes that will one day see humans set foot on Mars.
Astronauts training today may well get that opportunity within the lifespan of their career and there is no greater motivation than that.
The weightless movement of the astronauts is because they are in a continuous state of freefall. Pictured here astronauts onboard the ISS have their own kickabout ahead of the World Cup
Hadfield was commander of the ISS, a spaceship the size of a football field with more living space than a five bedroom house. Inside, he describes it as an Alice in Wonderland-type world where you have to decide which way will be 'up'
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