Also called: NASA astronaut (military detailee)
Military officer selected by NASA to fly to space, while remaining in the military.
Astronauts spend years training in spacesuits underwater, learning Russian, practicing robotics, and supporting missions from mission control before they fly. Many past astronauts were military test pilots, flight surgeons, or engineers. NASA picks only about 10 people from 12,000+ applicants per class.
Military astronauts keep their military rank and pay (usually O-4 to O-6); civilian NASA astronauts are paid on the GS-12 to GS-15 federal scale.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 10 years after high school. Bachelor's in STEM plus a master's degree or test pilot school, and years of experience (often as a test pilot).
Ways in: Military, Graduate school, 4-year college. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Medicine, Computer Science.
Growing about average. NASA selects a new astronaut class only every few years; extremely competitive.
Low risk for 10 years. Robots do more in orbit, but crewed missions keep a tiny number of astronauts flying.
Classes: AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, PE / fitness.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.