Must you be a pilot to be an astronaut in the United States?

If you wanted to be in the front seats of the shuttle, yes, you need to be a pilot. The rest of the folks on board, the "mission specialists" did not need to be pilots, although many were. Christa McAuliffe, the teacher who died in the Challenger accident, was not a pilot. read more

Degree must be followed by at least 3 years of related, progressively responsible, professional experience or at least 1,000 pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. An advanced degree is desirable and may be substituted for experience as follows: master’s degree = 1 year of experience, doctoral degree = 3 years of experience. read more