Inside NASA astronaut selection: Testing, interviews and who can apply

A gleaming resume, extreme intelligence and competent physical fitness are still not enough to get you into NASA. The top space agency in the world is not impressed by qualifications on paper and requires an individual to ace real-life tests. In the agency's 2021 selection cycle, the final 30 candidates completed individual exercises under time pressure, team simulations with what the agency described as a "very high cognitive load," roughly six hours of psychological testing and three and a half hours of behavioural and psychiatric interviews. The purpose is not to choose the smartest or technically adapted applicants but those who can handle overloads, process unfamiliar information, communicate clearly, regulate their reactions and remain useful to the team even under pressure.A NASA selectionAccording to a report by the Science Blog, NASA psychologists deliberately interrupt candidates, criticise correct answers and insist that successful solutions are wrong.