Chapter 1 summary

     He’s Smart but His Birds Are Sloppy – This first chapter is about astrounauts training to live and work in a cramped area to see they can function well as a group when the time comes for them to go to space.  Roach is there at the space center and  observes the astronaut selection process, where they  observe how well the candidates create origami. Not everyone will be chosen to go on the quest which is why it's important to observe and weed out the weak candidates. There are ten candidates.

    She explains that you have to be well trained to make it to space. She describes astronauts as being similar to college students. She's says it's like being in military school and the space agency management are the  sergeants in charge. Everything was observed. The way they ate, cleaned up after themselves, the way they handled their emotions, and the conversations they had amongst themselves. Roach describes it as a fraternity. 

 The observation ended, and roach left Japan. The ten candidates flew to Johnson Space Center where they interviewed with NASA astronauts and selection committee members. English skills and how well the candidates got along was a huge factor in the decisions making process. But, the most important factor is "the heart of the process" According to Ralph Harvey. He explains that you have to not only pick a good working partner but also a buddy. They could be stuck working in the mission control waiting weeks, or maybe even years to fly so you need someone by your side. In the end, only two candidates out of the ten were chosen.

  I chose this chapter because it's something that would be out of my comfort zone in terms of sharing things and living with other people. I definitely like to keep to myself and have my space and have my home where I can do whatever I want without worrying about other people invading that space. The fact that there were ten of these candidates and they were in such a limted cramped space makes me give astronauts a whole new found respect.