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Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

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Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people can’t become pilots (pre requisite) because of poor eye sight.

Well, the full story is ... The vast majority of pilot applicants don't really need to be concerned with their vision: - civil: will pass the vision requirements with correction to 20/20 near (the instrument panel) and far with glasses, contacts or surgery. - US military: last time I checked, one service allows laser surgery, and the others are evaluating it. I don't recommend eye surgery for civil pilots because of…

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Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people can’t become pilots (pre requisite) because of poor eye sight.

Well, the full story is ... The vast majority of pilot applicants don't really need to be concerned with their vision: - civil: will pass the vision requirements with correction to 20/20 near (the instrument panel) and far with glasses, contacts or surgery. - US military: last time I checked, one service allows laser surgery, and the others are evaluating it. I don't recommend eye surgery for civil pilots because of…

> - US military: last time I checked, one service allows laser surgery, and the others are evaluating it.

HUGE caveat here: They only allow eye surgery if they were the ones that did it. My brother had eye surgery when he was 3 years old, signed up with the Navy to be a pilot and only learned about this after he was signed. His vision is fine today and they let him be a naval flight officer, but they will never let him be a pilot.

Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people can’t become pilots (pre requisite) because of poor eye sight.

Well, the full story is ... The vast majority of pilot applicants don't really need to be concerned with their vision: - civil: will pass the vision requirements with correction to 20/20 near (the instrument panel) and far with glasses, contacts or surgery. - US military: last time I checked, one service allows laser surgery, and the others are evaluating it. I don't recommend eye surgery for civil pilots because of…

USAF's pilot vision requirements shift based on need and also aircraft type (which relates to number of applicants).

For fighter aircraft they generally require 20/20 vision but permit correction for some candidates (particularly USAF Academy grads), usually up to 20/50-20/70 range. Many more people want to be fighter pilots than fly other kinds of aircraft so they can be picky here.

For heavies (cargo, bomber) and helicopters that are less popular they may permit that range of correction for all candidates, not just Academy grads.

For getting vision corrected, it was PRK only for a long time, no LASIK. I'm not sure the present rules. So long as your initial vision was within some range (I think better than 20/200 for a while there, again not sure of the current rules) and was corrected to 20/20-20/70 or so then you could qualify to become a pilot. Above 20/200 there are other issues with vision that start creeping in which causes them to ignore those candidates.

However, it depends on current need. If they feel they have enough candidates and current pilots then they'll be stricter on the vision requirement (and other waiverable requirements like being just above/below the height range), when they hit their next pilot deficit because they were moronic and created another bathtub curve they'll relax the requirements again. Happens every decade.

Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#34

I’ve always wondered if NASAs obsession with “perfect astronauts” really had enough merit to warrant itself. My personal conspiracy theory was it was more about not losing face to the USSR then it was any practical need.

Sure it does, and it has nothing to do with another country.

They will take 10 years teaching astronauts about everything from orbital dynamics to spacewalking to Siberian survival.

It's literally millions of dollars spent on one person, so you need to maximize the probability of success. It's why they go for perfectly healthy people, both physically and mentally. Can't have someone quickly out of breath, or someone who breaks down in a stressful situation.

Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#35

I’ve always wondered if NASAs obsession with “perfect astronauts” really had enough merit to warrant itself. My personal conspiracy theory was it was more about not losing face to the USSR then it was any practical need.

I always thought of it as a tolerances thing. The stronger/fitter (for certain definitions of those words), and the smarter (ditto), the more slack you have built into the system. On the average space flight, an average person is just fine, but when things go sideways, it's better to have someone with very exceptional abilities. That's also not to say that seeking "perfect" astronauts selects for the most ideal abilities, but that was my thinking about what they were going for.

Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#36
post #2

This feels a bit played up. They are allowing short people to apply to be astronauts; I wouldn't consider that championing inclusion and diversity.

In terms of novel space exploration, it would only make sense to compose a crew of smaller individuals who require less space, consume less food, produce less waste etc. There's a strong case to be made that a first time Mars mission, or similarly challenging feat, would be best undertaken by an all-female crew.

Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#37
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm downvoting because you imply that having body abnormalities makes someone lower quality person. A disability should not be taken into account if it is not significant for the job (a rather personal bias).

i agree with the second half of your comment, but with regards to the first part, don’t you think that space travel — an endeavor that subjects the human body and mind to immense, unadapted-for stress — can/should only be undertaken by the most physically and mentally capable? we’re hardly experts at space travel (google says only 533 people have been to orbit). given that number, any disability is significant for th…

We are sending people in space for the last sixty years. Each of them has been monitored comprehensively and we know what are the stressors during those missions. Especially when it comes to height and legs, they doesn't mean much in zero gravity. If the person is tough enough to survive the acceleration, they should be good to go. The only real issue might be if the equipment has some hidden assumptions for the arm length of the user.

Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#38
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't care for this sort of discrimination. What if the guy with no legs is also the best for the job? You're gonna exclude 'em "just because"?

In space, legs are not required. To get out of a gravity well, being light is good.

Leaving the spacecraft on the ground due to an emergency might require the escapee to be fully ambulatory, though.

Re: Astronauts with disabilities can apply to Europe's space agency for first time

#39

I’ve always wondered if NASAs obsession with “perfect astronauts” really had enough merit to warrant itself. My personal conspiracy theory was it was more about not losing face to the USSR then it was any practical need.

Given the large number of people wanting the job and the low number of positions, pruning it in even a tiny-merit way seems like a nice strategy to employ. It's not like you're cutting anyone who could be predicted to be a gamechanger; there's only so much utility you can get out of an astronaut, I think.
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