Comments on Astronaut for Hire: Winning the Astronaut Lottery

did you know that the chances to win the superenal...

2011-06-23T04:12:55.771-10:00

did you know that the chances to win the superenalotto are 622,614,630 to 1 ?
the worst odds ever!!

Gambling is the worst social evil. It is the worst...

2010-03-18T21:56:08.619-10:00

Gambling is the worst social evil. It is the worst form of allurement that makes you lose money more often than not. Even I lost money with gambling in lotto and mega millions. It is a luxury only the affluent can afford! It is not for the common masses.

Steve, Note that this post is from November and p...

2010-02-13T08:33:15.866-10:00

Steve,

Note that this post is from November and pre-dates the official announcement of Starwalker.

I've been skeptical about Starwalker ever since the three ISU founders split from the project. I'm well aware of the dirt dug up on John Nolan on the various Parabolic Arc posts that are linked from Facebook. Plus, for some reason Starwalker denied my application even though they accepted applications from at least six of my friends.

It's sketchy and likely too good to be true.

This is a fraud. Do some research on Facebook. Loo...

2010-02-13T01:33:45.740-10:00

This is a fraud. Do some research on Facebook. Look up Starwalker: It's all a bad fraud.

It's bad bad bad.

I recently came across your blog and have been rea...

2010-02-12T18:32:24.688-10:00

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

Margaret

http://lotterymegamillions.net

Bill, Those are words to live by. Thanks for sha...

2009-12-19T23:06:34.783-10:00

Bill,

Those are words to live by. Thanks for sharing!

Brian

I really enjoyed your post. Not only was it inter...

2009-12-19T17:02:32.313-10:00

I really enjoyed your post. Not only was it interesting to see the numbers you came up with, but I was just having the "odds" discussion with some friends of mine. After batting around some statistics our bottom line was "You have to be better than one in a million". Never in a million years would my ego stretch far enough to believe that I'm better than a million other people. I have a bachelor's and master's in aerospace engineering, am a private pilot, am scuba certified, work in the space industry, etc, etc, so I would put my odds higher than someone serving a life sentence in prison, but ultimately I don't feel very positive about my chances. There are just so many amazing, incredible, motivated people that you really need that certain something to make it over the top.

With NASA receiving 2,800 valid applications I think it starts coming down to who you know. I've spoken with a dozen astronauts over the years and each of them had worked with people closely associated with the group or were military.

So my conclusion? Apply to Starwalker and have fun. Scuba dive because it's awesome fun. Fly Cessna's because it's fun. Get involved with the local space community because it's fun! Just have fun!

P.S. I enjoy checking out this blog and seeing what's happening with people who are motivated to pursue their dream.

I don't know if it's real. I hope it is. ...

2009-12-01T08:44:44.000-10:00

I don't know if it's real. I hope it is. The more I read the confusing comments from the show's creator (see this thread or threads on Facebook), the less convinced I am this show is genuine. Plus, the application process is very suspect. All it asks for is one's name, email, and postal code. How can they choose contestants based on only that information? Finally, if you want to enter via text message, it'll cost you about $10. Why? Maybe the whole thing is just a money-making scam. However, the optimist in me is holding out hope that this will be a real show... for the time being.

And wow, those are some interesting gambling odds,...

2009-12-01T08:41:51.438-10:00

And wow, those are some interesting gambling odds, I may mention that (along with the asteroids, LOL) too... for the sake of taking the bad news along with the good!! :)

o wow this is real? a reader sent me a link to an...

2009-12-01T08:34:19.390-10:00

o wow this is real? a reader sent me a link to an article about Starwalker and it thought it was a parody, but now i see the blog and wonder if this will take off?? agreed it might hurt stature, as there seems to be an unspoken creed among astronauts that those who prove too "press hungry" are somewhat looked down upon, but i've never understood that.

anything that highlights the rigors of training and what it takes to put humans and hardware into space should be seen as an exciting venture!! especially now with our shuttle program winding down...

Another interesting aspect of the Starwalker show ...

2009-11-28T20:32:06.731-10:00

Another interesting aspect of the Starwalker show for potential future NASA astronauts is whether participating in the show will help or hurt one's chances with NASA down the road. On one hand, if you carried yourself well and excelled in all of the challenges the show presents you, I could see that helping your eventual application to NASA. On the other hand, being a reality show, it could over-emphasize personality issues that may make you look bad, which could ultimately hurt your stature with NASA.

I too concur with Gary. It's not about odds, i...

2009-11-28T19:34:50.397-10:00

I too concur with Gary. It's not about odds, it's about continuing to work hard and to never be fully satisfied with what you know or have already learned.

Well put, Gary.

2009-11-26T15:04:14.712-10:00

Well put, Gary.

While I agree with your calculation of odds of sel...

2009-11-26T12:48:24.071-10:00

While I agree with your calculation of odds of selection (about 0.3% for Group 20), I would consider those the "minimum odds" at best.

While about 2800 candidates met the minimum qualifications for the Astronaut Corp. (B.S. Degree in a STEM field + 3 years of professional experience), as you can see from the most recent and previous selections, those chosen exceeded those requirements by quite a bit.

If the selection was entirely random, 0.3% would be appropriate. However, it is my opinion that selection is based on the following:

1. Education (Degrees, Research)
2. Experience (Professional Development, Leadership)
3. Enhancement (Training, Certifications)

As one grows in each field, their odds of selection improve relative to all other candidates. The only way your odds will ever truly worsen, is when you stop learning.

~Garry

Thanks for the kind words! I never thought the sou...

2009-11-25T23:08:54.711-10:00

Thanks for the kind words! I never thought the southern hemisphere thing would be quite so taken up with, but then I live and work in the south mostly so I guess I have the southron bias or some such...

Earlier in your piece you note the very real socio-economic barriers to many who might otherwise aspire to be an astronaut, and in addition to the "we come from there" factor, the other reason the show is north-south is to try and be a little more equitable. Many southern entrants are going to face massive additional hurdles in getting into and through the show, and I think it's important to try and redress that.

Plus as some northerners are now constantly saying...

EMIGRATE SOUTH!

The climate is pretty amazing. :)

In relation to the carbon status of the show, it is easy for us to negate any carbon footprint thanks to the kind folks at White Carbon CCGAS partnership, and whether one agrees with all the ... intricacies... of AGW or not, reclaiming land as virgin forest is all good anyway IMO. :)

Perseverance Furthers,

Jonathan Nolan
Executive Producer / Showrunner
STARWALKER