Today's astronauts require many different abilities. They must not only be expert in performing flight simulations but must also be proficient in such dissimilar subjects as photography, thermodynamics, electrical repairs, flight procedures, oceanography, public affairs, and geology. In Prepare for Launch, the author introduces the technologies and myriad activities that constitute or affect astronaut training, such as the part-task trainers, emergency procedures, the fixed-based and motion-based simulators, virtual environment training, and the demands of training in the Weightless Environment Training Facility. With plans to return to the Moon and future missions to Mars, the current selection criteria and training are very different from those used for short duration mission Space Shuttle crews. Dr. Erik Seedhouse in this book focuses on how astronaut candidates are taught to cope with different needs and environments (for example, hibernation, artificial gravity, and bioethics issues) and also includes brief discussions of the astronaut application and selection process.
To be an astronaut is the dream of thousands of young - and not so young - people. But is the life as glamorous as we think it is? First, each applicant must navigate a protracted application and selection process, submit to lengthy medicals, take dozens of aptitude tests, and face an interview panel. If successful, the wannabe spacefarer is then subjected to a guantlet of instruction. From being strapped into centrifuges to experiencing microgravity onboard NASA's aptly named 'vomit comet,' the astronaut candidate's (Ascan) trainging is as relentless as it is arduous. In addtion to covering more than two hundred classroom subjects, as Ascan will complete over fifteen hundred hours of instruction, including training in high-performance jets, sea survival, emergency evacuation preparation, and surgery in microgravity. Prepare for Launch provides a unique insight into the astronaut application, selection, and training process. It chronicles the intense, highly technical and sophisticatedtraining necessary to forge a flight crew capable of responding to any conceivable emergency and capable of expertly executing hundreds of mission tasks. This book uniquely explores the preparation required to apply and train for the most challenging and demanding job in the world.
From the reviews:
"In Prepare for Launch you can read a detailed and thorough account written by someone who tried very hard to change his astronaut dream into a reality. Seedhouse's book contains the nuts and bolts of astronaut training in North America and Europe. ? He leads us step by step through the protracted process of becoming an astronaut. ? Seedhouse has written an intriguing account of the training process, and his book is a joy to read." (Carole Stott, The Observatory, Vol. 131 (1221), April, 2011)
