A. ACADEMICS 25 points possible Highest degree earned: BS 5 points MS 10 points PhD, MD, or equivalent 20 points More than one field 5 points additional Total x QAD Factor = total score B. RECENCY OF EDUCATION 5 points possible Years since last degree: 3 or less 5 points 3-4 4 points 4-5 3 points 5 or more 0 points C. EXPERIENCE 30 points possible Work Experience 4 points per year (20 points max) More than one field up to 10 points additional Total x QAD Factor = total score D. OTHER 15 points possible Other unique skills and experience
(e.g., pilot, scuba, etc.)up to 15 points E. REFERENCES 25 points possible Quality of references up to 25 points ------------------- F. TOTAL SCORE 100 points possible
QAD stands for "Quality, Applicability & Diversity." This subjective weighting factor ranges from 0.0 to 1.0. It provides a means for the review committee to evaluate the quality and applicability of applicants’ education or experience. Educational QAD factors for the 1992 mission specialist selection were as follows: 1.0: 1 person, 0.9: 27 people, 0.8: 30 people, 0.7: 10 people, 0.6: 1 person. Experience QAD factors for the 1992 mission specialist selection were as follows: 1.0: 10 people, 0.9: 26 people, 0.8: 21 people, 0.7: 11 people, 0.6: 1 person.
Section II (not shown here) is a completely subjective rating based on the interview. It awards 20 points possible for each of the following criteria: Experience/potential, Motivation, Teamwork, Communications, and Adaptability.
A lot can change in 16 years, but at least this gives us an idea what NASA thinks is important (recent education in multiple fields, excellent references, work experience in multiple fields).
How do you fare? Would you rate above 75, the generally accepted minimum score to be eligible for an interview?
8 comments:
Fantastic information! (this post as well as your others) I am really impressed with your blog. Thank you so much for making all of this information easily accessible and taking the time to compile all of the data for the "hopefuls". I wish you the best in all of your pursuits, especially in your ambitions of becoming an astronaut. Take care.
Brian--
Thanks for the great blog. I stumbled upon this rating sheet on the Astronaut Hopefuls site a few weeks back. Wasn't sure how much stock to put in it. If you apply it against some of the recent selections, it doesn't necessarily hold up. For example, look at a bio for Jim Dutton (04 selection):
Education (MS) = 10 points
Yrs since last degree (more than 5) = 0 points
Experience (4+ years as pilot) = 20 points
Other (test pilot) = 15 points?
Total = 45 points. Even if we assume he got 25 for references he wouldn't cross the 75 threshold...
Maybe just me grasping for straws since I don't cross the 75 threshold, either :)
That's a very good point. This rating scheme may very well be outdated. At least it gives a snapshot into how NASA has handled it in the past.
As for the 75 magic number, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I don't cross that threshold, but that doesn't mean I'm giving up hope!
This is great! According to this I score between ~95-100 (but still haven't heard a thing though).
Congrats on making the cut this far :)
Hey,
I am an aspiring Astronaut and presently doing my Masters at MIT. I was wondering would doing 2 Masters from two different universities count as 20 points?
Your guess is as good as mine. The way I read the rating scheme, you'd earn up to 15 points: 10 for having a masters as the highest degree and up to 5 if the degrees are in different fields. Of course, NASA may no longer use this rating scheme.
Well I'm borderline, 70 to 80 depending on QAD and refs. I wonder if teaching at three different levels, HS, CC and Univ counts as different fields. At least my time at a startup & DOE lab work to bolster experience.
The wait is agonizing.
Post a Comment