HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (CNN) -- The best time in the life of a rocketscientist is the time spent standing by a launch pad or a test stand, watching a brand-new rocket go through performance tests.
And while you didn't exactly have to be a rocketscientist to join the original space missions (the U.S. Mercury and Apollo programs recruited many test pilots), if you want to stand a chance against other heavily-qualified applicants, it's certainly an advantage.