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NSIAD-93-114R 1 (1993-01-12)

handle is hein.gao/gaobackfk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: United States GA0 General Accounting Office Washington, D.C. 20548 National Security and International Affairs Division B-25 1848 January 12, 1993 148414 The Honorable Daniel S. Goldin Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dear Mr. Goldin: We have completed our survey of NASA's selection, utilization, and training of astronauts. Our work focused on the size and composition of the astronaut corps, the average length of service in the corps, the frequency of flight for astronauts, trends in astronauts' waiting times to first and subsequent flights, and NASA's response to astronauts' concerns about training. RESULTS IN BRIEF Since the late 1970s the astronaut corps has grown substantially in size and the mix of astronaut pilot and mission specialist candidates has changed, primarily to provide larger crews to staff longer, more complex missions. Once candidates become astronauts, they typically remain in the corps well beyond the 5-year expected minimum length of service. Knowing how often an astronaut should be allowed to fly is an important element in determining the size of the astronaut corps. NASA officials at the Johnson Space Center believe that, generally, astronauts should not fly more than once a year because of the rigors of, and the time required for, mission training. However, there are no generally accepted criteria on how frequently an astronaut should be permitted to fly missions. Utilization statistics show favorable recent trends towards more efficient use of astronauts after a period of generally increasing waiting times to first and subsequent flights early in the space shuttle program. Also, the flight opportunities for astronauts are fairly well distributed. GAO/NSIAD-93-114R Astronaut Utilization (63 0 ;--,

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