There are many people who dream of being astronauts and in fact, becoming part of NASA is perhaps something that many boys and girls, not only from the United States but from around the world, have ever wanted, but what is there to study? to be chosen as a NASA astronaut? What requirements are nedeed to fulfill? and the salary? Is it as high as we can think? How much does an American astronaut charge a year?
What does it take to become a NASA astronaut and how much do you charge per year?
It seems that this year there is a “boom” for visiting space. Let’s not forget Jeff Bezos’ next mission scheduled for July that will allow him to make a space lap of just ten minutes or Elon Musk’s desire to reach Mars, so if you are wondering how to become an astronaut you may have noticed those that they always tend to be protagonists in the missions that are most publicized and also of course, in the cinema.
NASA astronauts are always considered great “heroes” but to become an astronaut they have had to train before and meet the requirements that the United States space agency demands.
Thus, to become a NASA astronaut, applicants must have American nationality , as well as be graduates in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field . They must also prove post-graduation work experience of at least 1,000 flight hours.
“Astronaut candidates must also have leadership, teamwork and communications skills, ” NASA says on its website.
How much does a NASA astronaut charge?
And as for the salary, we can say that NASA astronauts earn a lot, although not as much as one might think. In fact, they are classified as GS-12 and GS-13 civil servants, based on their skills and seniority. According to 2020 salaries, there is talk of a figure between 66,167 and 161,141 gross dollars per year . In euros, they are between 55,000 and 134,000 gross euros per year , which are between approximately 42,000 and 91,000 net (the tax burden in the United States is less than in Spain).
Basically, divided by 12 months, it corresponds to a salary between 3,500 (a “new employee”) and 7,600 euros net per month (a super experienced astronaut).
To contrast , European astronauts, located between levels A2 and A4, obtain similar figures: the salaries of the lowest level are slightly higher but the maximum salaries are lower.
Finally, a NASA astronaut has the ability to ascend to a higher level, called the GS-15 category. In which it is possible that you get to receive a maximum of 142,000 dollars a year (117,000 euros), depending on your responsibility within the program in which you are working and your previous experience.
