Key points from the visualisation
- The chart follows NASA astronauts through five stages: country of birth, military rank, age when selected, field of study and university.
- Most were born in the United States; 12 other countries of birth appear as thin streams.
- The widest military groups are those who did not serve, captains and colonels.
- Most astronauts were 31 to 40 when they joined, with 41 to 45 the next largest group.
- Engineering degrees dominate, and the US Naval Academy and US Air Force Academy are among the widest university bars.
All points are from the graphic, which does not name its data source.
The NASA astronaut chart in text
Title: What It Takes To Go To Space. Subtitle: Data Visualization on NASA Astronauts.
About The Visualisation: “Though we’ve been living in Space Age for more than half a century, going into space remains an extreme rarity. Fewer than 600 people have gone above the Kármán line, the point, about 62 miles above Earth, that marks the beginning of space. Within the next few decades, humans could be leaving their footprints on the Red Planet! as NASA continues to prepare to expand human exploration in the solar system. The need for crew members on these spacecraft and missions will continue. At times, NASA will put out a call for new astronauts. This visualization helps one understand the likelihood and probable career path one can take to become a NASA Astronaut.”
The flows are drawn as a rocket: a nose cone at the top, a narrow body through the first three stages, and an exhaust plume that fans out across the degree subjects and universities. The width of each bar shows how many astronauts fall in that group. No counts or percentages are printed.
| Stage | Categories shown |
|---|---|
| Country of Birth | Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Italy, Netherlands, Panama, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States |
| Military Rank | Didn’t serve in military, Brigadier General, Captain, Chief Warrant Officer, Colonel, Commander, Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant Commander, Lieutenant General, Major, Major General, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral |
| Age when became Astronaut | 20-25, 26-30, 31-35, 36-40, 41-45, 46-50, 51-55, 56-60 |
| Educational Background | Accounting, Aeronautical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Animal Science, Applied Science, Astronautical Engineering, Biological Science, Business Administration, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Ecological Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Engineering Management, Engineering Mechanics, Engineering Science, Geology, Industrial Engineering, Industrial Management, Mathematics, Management, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Military Engineering, Music, Naval Science, Naval Sciences, Nuclear Engineering, Philosophy, Physics, Pharmaceutical, Planetary Science, Psychology, Zoology |
| Alma Mater | Amherst College, Auburn University, California State University, Cambridge University, Carnegie-Mellon University, Case Western Reserve University, City College of New York, College of William & Mary, College of the Holy Cross, Colorado State University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Davidson College, DePauw University, Delft University of Technology, Drexel University, Embry-Riddle University, Emory University, Florida State University, Framingham State College, Frostburg State University, George Washington University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Groveport-Madison High School, Harvard University, Harvey Mudd College, Hastings College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Iowa Wesleyan College, Kent State University, LeMoyne College, Lehigh University, Loyola College, MIT, Missouri Southern State College, Montana State University, Muskingum College, North Carolina A&T State University, Northeastern University, Northwest Nazarene College, Ohio State University, Oklahoma Baptist University, Oregon State University, Pennsylvania State University, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Princeton University, Purdue University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Saint John’s University, San Diego State University, San Francisco State University, Southeast Missouri State, Southeastern Massachusetts University, Southern Illinois University, Southern Methodist University, Stanford University, State University of New York, Syracuse University, Tarleton State University, Tennessee Technological University, Texas Tech University, Tufts University, Tulane University, US Air Force Academy, US Coast Guard Academy, US Merchant Marine Academy, US Military Academy, US Naval Academy, University of Arizona, University of Colorado, University of Connecticut, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, University of New Hampshire, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, University of Oklahoma, University of Rochester, University of Sydney, University of Texas, University of Utah, University of Virginia, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin, Villanova University, Washington State University |
What NASA asks of astronaut candidates
The career paths on the chart reflect how NASA’s requirements have changed. NASA says it first looked for scientists as astronauts in 1964, when a doctorate in medicine, engineering or a natural science was required [2]. Today applicants must be US citizens, hold a master’s degree in a STEM field such as engineering, biological or physical science, computer science or maths, have at least two years of related professional experience or 1,000 hours as pilot in command of jet aircraft, and pass the long duration spaceflight physical [2].
A completed medical degree, two years of doctoral study or a test pilot school programme can stand in for the master’s degree [2]. That explains the strong military and engineering streams on the chart: test pilots and service academy graduates meet these requirements more often than most.
Selection is very competitive. NASA received a record 18,300 applications in 2016; a small group was interviewed at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and those selected then spend about two years in basic training covering spacewalks, the space station, T-38 jets and the robotic arm [2].
Notes on this infographic
- “Fewer than 600 people” was true when the chart was made but is now out of date: 781 people from 55 countries had reached 100 km or more by May 2026 [3].
- The Kármán line is 100 km, which is the 62 miles given on the graphic [4].
- Military ranks are listed alphabetically and mix ranks from different services, so an army captain and a navy captain sit in the same bar despite being three pay grades apart, as readers of the original post pointed out [1].
- A reader of the original post questioned the large California State University bar, suggesting it may stand for the University of California system [1]. We could not check the underlying data.
- The graphic names no data source, and the categories include a high school (Groveport-Madison High School) among the universities.
- Spelling on the graphic mixes “Visualisation” and “visualization”; a stray space in “contin ue” is corrected above.
Sources
- u/koustourika, What it takes to go to space, r/DataArt, March 2021. Earliest copy we found; the poster says they found it on Pinterest without credit.
- NASA, Astronaut Requirements.
- Wikipedia, Astronaut (figures as of May 2026).
- Wikipedia, Kármán line.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
