Skip to main content
Space Exploration

You are not logged in. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed.

We welcome edits that make the post easier to understand and more valuable for readers. Because community members review edits, please try to make the post substantially better than how you found it, for example, by fixing grammar or adding additional resources and hyperlinks.

8
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ NASA employs only US nationals, yes. But couldn’t a naturalised citizen apply? Obviously ESA would be a better try but if someone is really bent on becoming an astronaut is citizenship really an issue? $\endgroup$
    – 11684
    Commented Oct 11, 2018 at 12:04
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ ESA has facilities all over Europe. I believe the astronaut corps is nominally based at ESTEC in the Netherlands, though in practice ESA astronauts currently spend most of their training in Russia and the rest in various other locations. $\endgroup$
    – stuart10
    Commented Oct 11, 2018 at 12:05
  • 11
    $\begingroup$ Naturalised American citizens and duel nationals can become astronauts - e.g. Michael Foale was born in the UK but obtained US citizenship and later spent more time in space than any previous NASA astronaut. Obviously though, getting US citizenship is not easy if you aren't born with it. $\endgroup$
    – stuart10
    Commented Oct 11, 2018 at 12:10
  • 19
    $\begingroup$ @stuart10 getting US citizenship might not be easy, but empirically it still is a piece of cake compared to becoming an astronaut. $\endgroup$
    – Jeffrey
    Commented Oct 12, 2018 at 19:04
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @AlexA The location of all of ESA's facilities is on their web site. The European Astronaut Centre is in Köln, next to CGN airport. $\endgroup$
    – Mike Harris
    Commented Oct 13, 2018 at 3:22