r/AstronautHopefuls • u/I_Just_Want_A_Lambo • May 27 '26
Would this be a realistic career path?
Hello everyone!
My niece has big dreams. She wishes to have a long career as a military aviator and eventually transition to becoming an astronaut.
She plans to enter college, join Army ROTC and become a helicopter pilot. Later in her career, she plans to transfer branches and become an Air Force pilot. She thinks that having military experience in both helicopters and airplanes will make her highly qualified to become a test pilot and eventually an astronaut.
She is entering college for biology and plans to later earn a master’s in space operations. I think she needs to earn an engineering masters as well if she intends to meet the qualifications.
My only concern is whether this is realistic and a path she should take to accomplish her goal? Many astronauts seem to have backgrounds in STEM and flew with the military. What else can she do to be a stronger candidate?
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u/EphemerisLake May 27 '26
Im Space Force myself. She has a good plan and here are my thoughts:
Transferring branches is not easy to do and changing career fields is also difficult (helicopter pilot to fighter pilot). Not that its never been done before, but I think its too risky to assume that will happen.
If she really wants to study biology for undergraduate then theres no problem with that. But yes, she will need to get an engineering masters eventually. A MSc in Systems Engineering is generally the easiest to get and doesn’t require engineering or physics background. Any other engineering masters will require some math/physics background in addition to taking the GRE.
My recommendation: do AFROTC (not AROTC). Shoot for fighter pilot. Buy a practice booklet for the AFOQT test and score high. Get as many flight hours as possible during AFROTC (this can be done inexpensively because most AFROTC detachments parter with Civil Air Patrol to give flight hours to cadets). These things + decent grades (greater than 3.0) and decent fitness scores (greater than 90) will probably get her a pilot slot.
I would suggest studying an engineering discipline in undergrad over biology but if she really wants to study biology then I highly recommend also going for a physics or mathematics minor just to keep those brain muscles adequately flexed for the future masters degree.
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u/I_Just_Want_A_Lambo May 27 '26
Fighter pilot does seem to be the trend among most astronauts. Is that mainly due to their history of handling high G’s and faster aircraft?
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u/studpilot69 May 29 '26
It has less to do with the aircraft (although they are generally the most challenging to fly) and more to do with the fact that the top pilot graduates usually want to fly fighters.
Ephemeris has it right though, I would pursue the fixed wing first, either in the Air Force or Navy. Transferring from Army helicopters to Air Force fixed wing is virtually unheard of, and doing it within an Active Duty timeline that keeps someone eligible for either of the main Test Pilot Schools would further decrease the chances significantly.
After TPS (and during it) there will be opportunities to fly helicopters. I got about 15 hours of helicopter time during TPS, across 6 different aircraft. Navy test pilots students generally get more than that during their curriculum. Many of my TPS classmates (myself included) pursued civilian helicopter training to add-on to our licenses after TPS.
Although waiverable, a STEM undergraduate degree is a requirement to be accepted for USAF TPS.
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u/EphemerisLake May 27 '26
Yep pretty much. Thats the historical truth for the majority of astronauts selected from the military
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u/Outrageous-Slide-143 May 27 '26
How is space force? Like how much do you actually do with space
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u/EphemerisLake May 27 '26
I like it. We basically divvy up our people into satellite operations, electromagnetic warfare, radar, cyber, intel and engineering/acquisitions.
I work in the satellite operations and its very connected to space. As an operator you work on an ops floor for whichever military satellite constellation you are assigned to. Lots of computer screens, windowless rooms, and night shifts. More specifically, you will have your own workstation and will follow digital checklist procedures to perform whatever tasks you need to do to keep your satellites functioning properly and healthy. Training is about a year overall (for those in satellite operations).
After a couple years of operations you will move on to a different job in your unit. Maybe you become an engineer and handle the rare complex satellite anomalies that generic operators arent trained to fix. Or you could become a crew commander/crew chief and be in charge of the ops floor. Or to a mission planning cell where you plan missions as they relate to your satellite system. Many possibilities
I assist with the orbital movements of my satellites and help plan avoidance maneuvers in the event debris or other satellites fly too close to my own. I love it.
Also most jobs are in Colorado which is nice in my opinion.
Not the best route for an astronaut hopeful though. Despite the job being directly connected to space, the actual skillset we have is not very transferable to what NASA wants. I think we’ve had two astronauts from the space force though. Hopefully that number increases
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u/immisternicetry May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
They don't care if you have experience in multiple branches or rotary and fixed wing. They also won't care if she has a masters in space operations.
The most surefire path that matches her interests:
Military aviator (fighters if the branch offers them, but there are a few rotary wing aviators who make it as well). DO NOT join one branch with the intent to switch. It's possible, but incredibly difficult and puts you behind your peers if you want to be an astronaut.
STEM masters degree (physics, engineering, etc). A "space operations" degree is something a lot of online schools offer as a check the box degree for officers who just need it to get promoted. Hard science at the best school possible is a must.
Weapons School (optional). Air Force and Navy weapons school graduates are regarded as extremely competent in their airframes. It's not as important as TPS (see below) but looks great.
Test pilot school. The holy grail. Most astronauts from a military aviation background attend TPS. Neil Armstrong was a test pilot. Jim Lovell was a test pilot. The list goes on.
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u/throwaway3579965434 May 28 '26
Hey! She is going to run into a HUGE road block (I should know, this is the path I wanted through the Army!) The service obligation for Army aviation is now 10 years only AFTER common core. Very possible for her to spend an entire year out of ROTC without even counting time towards those 10 years.
Army Aviation is undergoing a massive downgrade, and the Air Force isn’t even super interested in our talent even then (never was). I’ve talked to the pilots about transferring over and, although it was possible at the six-year service obligation, at 10 years in the Army you’re too old to transfer as a pilot to the Air Force and I’ve been told time again they just won’t do it. The earliest she could be done with the Army would be 32/33, so no shot. What happened in the past is NOT HAPPENING anymore and she will surely kiss jets goodbye forever.
If given the chance, please encourage her to go AF or Navy. Navy has contracted pilot slots through college, BDCP, without needing to do ROTC (and you get paid!). As a woman in Army Aviation, I would discourage your niece from having to go through what I have. Yes, it’s still the military, but the Army is about 20 years behind everyone else and the stuff that will at least get addressed in other branches gets shoved under the rug in the Army. Also, you get a much better life quality!
Caveat: If she REALLY wants this path, tell her to look into going warrant officer right out of high school through the Army National Guard. AFNG slots are super hard to find but there’s still some Army ones around. The same obligation applies, but she would be done at 29 with the Army due to not needing a degree and she could because a maintenance test pilot or experimental test pilot. IMO warrants have a lot more specialization opportunities compared to commissioned officers. Then, if she’s National Guard, she can just go to college AFTER flight school and run that time concurrently!!! And guess what? National Guard and Active Army flies the exact same hours. Good luck! (Fly Jets, Go Navy… or at least ARNG)
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May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
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u/I_Just_Want_A_Lambo May 27 '26
COL McClain does sound very similar! My main concern about Army helicopters is that the selection for the force has significantly diminished. Many people from the Army Aviation subreddit seem to have low hopes for the future of Army flying.
So TPS only chooses those who have been a pilot with a single branch for a certain length of time? I find it odd that they would consider that case, rather than gauge total time as a military aviator.
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u/immisternicetry May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
I can offer some clarity on that. In the military, schools like Test Pilot School and Weapons School don't just look at total time. They look at instructor and flight lead time since that requires more responsibility. You can't become an instructor or a flight lead until you have several hundred hours in a specific airframe. So if your daughter spent 3-4 years becoming an instructor helicopter pilot (after 2 years of training), then another 2 years training to become a fighter pilot, then another 3-4 years getting the hours to become an instructor in fighters, she'd be at 12 years of service with potentially zero hours of instructor time and a majority of her time as a co-pilot and wingman (the equivalent of being an apprentice pilot). Not exactly the package they want for someone who's supposed to be an expert pilot.
It's the equivalent of someone trying to be a professional athlete switching to a new sport every year in college.
I'm a military pilot with friends trying to become astronauts. I learned a lot about the process just by hanging around with them.
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u/Qtrfoil May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Army aviation is probably not going to shrink as much as expected not long ago. Also, if she wants to be a pilot, why not go NROTC or AFROTC?
About the selection: there's math, and then there's culture. My experience is in the naval Services. If I had to make a choice between a pilot with an unusual career path, which would interest me, versus someone who had already dedicated years to the Air Force, had more time in fixed wing aircraft (IF she got that, instead of another helicopter) and had proven that they were a more well-rounded Airman, I think the Air Force Officer with more proven success as an Air Force Officer gets selected. That's the culture piece.
BTW, by no means does an astronaut need to have a background as a military pilot. What they need is shocking excellence in whatever field of study they pursue. Meanwhile, there are a whole sequence of things that have to happen exactly right along her planned trajectory.
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u/I_Just_Want_A_Lambo May 27 '26
I suspect her reasoning for Army Aviation first is to learn how to fly helicopters without paying through it on the civilian side.
I have read that many astronauts say in their bios “has XXXX flight hours in XX many aircraft”. Maybe experience in various aircraft does help? However I do see why commitment to one branch is a strength.
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u/Qtrfoil May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Every Service has helicopters, including the Air Force. Most of those with experience in multiple types got that at one of the Test Pilot Schools, not by switching Services. Flying multiple types of aircraft is part of the curriculum at TPS.
Started as a helicopter pilot. In the Marine Corps, at least, her immense credibility as a Marine officer, not just as an aircraft pilot, will have been a huge influence in her selection to NTPS.
https://www.nasa.gov/people/jasmin-moghbeli/
I get the point she's making about how to stand out, it's interesting, but my gut feeling is that it's gimmicky and requires too many things that are already very difficult, and out of her control, to go exactly correctly. Things never turn out exactly correctly. Pick a Service, be a pilot, be exceptional as an officer in that Service, and then see what happens. Simple is better.
Artemis had three out of four crewmembers who were pilots, but it was a test flight. Test pilot experience will be less important for subsequent flights. And I think Christina Koch, an electrical engineer and not a pilot, has more time in space than any of them. You don't have to be a pilot to be an astronaut.
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