For the first time in five years, NASA has assembled a top-notch team of nine future astronauts – out of an applicant pool of 3,500 – for its Constellation program to reach the (been-there-done-that) moon and (fingers-crossed) Mars. Flying into deep space means that not only will the journey last much longer than the usual space gig, but the Martian terrain and potential obstacles, i.e. asteroids, are also different from prior missions. For that hearty Gang of Nine, it means more intensive training.

Popular Science reported on the revamped “astronaut boot camp” that the astronaut hopefuls (they won’t become full-fledged spacemen until 2011) began this fall, complete with the standard underwater anti-gravity labs, G-force altitude chambers and flight simulators. But the physical training will be more intensive than usual to prepare the trainees’ bodies for the extreme toll of spending extensive time in space and high radiation exposure. In fact, since the destination is so far away, Buzz Aldrin in 2005 proposed manning a permanently orbiting spacecraft to Mars to save energy.

All of the astronauts will learn to fly, land and dock the Orion shuttle with the International Space Station. And since that new flight vehicle will be designed to be simpler to operate, learning to merely coexist in such cramped quarters for six or so months will probably be the hardest task to master. For that reason, NASA is spending a lot of time with psychological training for this go-round. Above all, the astronauts must be able to maintain a positive attitude, think well under pressure and collaborate smoothly with others. Those factors are part of any intensive job training, but take into account that cube farmers never have to drink their co-workers’ recycled bodily fluids.

For this next chapter in space history, it looks like everyone’s raising the bar for tomorrow’s astronauts. China’s program made headlines earlier this year when it stepped up its astronaut requirements earlier this year. To take part of in the country’s future manned mission to the moon, candidates with teeth cavities, scars and drug allergies need not apply.

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