In the early 2000s I applied to be an astronaut.
I wish I had an interesting story to tell about the screening and selection process — what I learned in talking with the interviewers; cool stuff I got to see; interesting people I met along the way; some nugget of wisdom that has shaped my journey since.
But I got nothing. NASA rejected me almost instantaneously. I never even spoke to a person. Didn’t get past step one. If I had been chosen, I would have been part of either Astronaut Group 19 or 20.
Astronaut selection is and has always been the ultimate exercise in fitting a precise mold. It’s been true ever since the Mercury 7 were chosen in 1959. The mold has changed shape, but the rigor of the selection process behind it has not.
Your fate is out of your hands. You must be what they want. You must be chosen.
What if you don’t fit the mold? What if you don’t get chosen?
Choose yourself. Oh, yeah. That’s what I learned.
