What is STEAM Astronauts on space stations conduct scientifi c experiments in zero gravity On Earth engineers design communication software and energy systems for spacesuits Astronomers peer through telescopes to understand the origin of the universe They use computers to download data from robotic spacecraft at the edge of the solar system What do these people have in common They work in the exciting fi eld of space exploration Their jobs require a STEAM education which is vital if you want to work in outer space learn about stars and galaxies or explore the solar system W hat does STEAM stand for Science Technology Engineering Art Math 4
Some of the most exciting careers are in STEAM fi elds A strong STEAM education can help you develop theories design new things or improve existing technology Whether they’re in orbit or on Earth space explorers draw upon their STEAM education to help grow our knowledge about the universe Engineers inspect components of the James Webb Space Telescope which is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope Astronauts spend years training on Earth to develop skills to work in orbit or on the International Space Station 5
The Final Frontier For thousands of years human beings looked up and wondered what was beyond the clouds We found out in the 20th century when the fi rst astronauts launched into space Astronauts confi rmed theories that space was a vacuum They discovered that stars shine clearer beyond Earth’s atmosphere This new knowledge paved the way for an entire fl eet of space-based telescopes STEAM Fast Fact The fi rst human in space was Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin He made a 108-minute orbital fl ight around Earth in the Vostok 1 spacecraft on April 12 1961 Thirty-four years later Valery Polyakov another Russian cosmonaut set a record for spending 438 consecutive days in space Can you imagine living in outer space for more than a year 6 Yuri Gagarin 1934 1968
Real STEAM Job Astronaut Astronauts do their jobs in space but they spend a lot of time on the ground training and studying The National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA screens thousands of aspiring astronauts every year NASA even looks for candidates with degrees in archaeology or geography The candidates undergo physical and psychological tests to ensure they can work and survive in outer space While some astronauts like Thomas Pesquet are pilots or engineers some are scientists who conduct experiments in space Orion Spacecraft STEAM Fast Fact NASA has only selected 339 candidates out of thousands of NASA has only selected 339 candidates out of thousands of applicants to become astronauts since the program was founded in 1959 Some of them became the fi rst Americans to orbit Earth and the fi rst astronauts to land on the moon NASA’s current astronaut candidates are training to go farther The space agency plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s and its engineers are developing the Orion spacecraft to send them there One day maybe you can live and work on the Red Planet 7
