Preparing for the high frontier : the role and training of NASA astronauts in the post- space shuttle era

As the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) retires the Space Shuttle and shifts involvement in International Space Station (ISS) operations, changes in the role and requirements of NASA's Astronaut Corps will take place. At the request of NASA, the National Research Council (NRC) addressed three main questions about these changes: what should be the role and size of Johnson Space Center's (JSC) Flight Crew Operations Directorate (FCOD); what will be the requirements of astronaut training facilities; and is the Astronaut Corps' fleet of training aircraft a cost-effective means of preparing astronauts for NASA's spaceflight program? This report presents an assessment of several issues driven by these questions. This report does not address explicitly the future of human spaceflight. Cover......Page 1 Preparing for the High Frontier: The Role and Training of NASA Astronauts in the Post-Space Shuttle Era......Page 3 Copyright......Page 4 Preface......Page 9 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Contents......Page 11 Summary......Page 12 1 The Evolution of the U.S. Astronaut Program......Page 20 2 NASA's Human Spaceflight: Role and Size of the Activities Managed by the Flight Crew Operations Directorate......Page 40 3 Post-Shuttle Spaceflight Crew Training Resources: Ground-Based Facilities and T-38N Talon Aircraft......Page 68 Appendixes......Page 92 A: Appropriate Training Methods and Technologies......Page 94 B: Glossary......Page 98 C: Committee and Staff Biographical Information......Page 100