Poll of the Week: Future Astronaut Training

By Jim Gerard, INSPIRE Education Specialist

Two flights remain in the NASA Space Shuttle program.  Discovery has retired, completing her last mission last week.  Our question to the Online Learning Community involved the astronauts that remain following the final flight of the shuttle.  What should those astronauts do.

While there was a very even distribution over three of the answers, very few selected the 'Move into management' choice,  which is actually what many astronauts do.  Johnson Space Center is headed by astronaut Mike Coats, and Kennedy has astronaut Bob Cabana as its Director.  And, the agency itself is helmed by astronaut Charlie Bolden.  But most of you chose one of the other options offered.

The tally was almost evenly split between the choices 'Get involved in education programs' and 'Go to work for commercial spaceflight', while edging them out for the top spot was to 'Continue to train for the ISS'.  The following was left on the Discussion Board:

I think they should continue to train for the ISS. They will still be going to the ISS after the Space Shuttles are canceled, and the training will benefit them in later missipons, such as going to the Moon or Mars. 

For now, we'll have to just wait and see what happens in the next few months.

Today we begin a new poll: What technological breakthrough is needed before we can send humans to Mars?  Take the poll on the home page, then go to the Discussion Board to champion your choice!