<p>Cran, the shuttle missions are usually flying these days with a crew of 7. Outside of the Commander and Pilot, the other 5 are usually non-pilot types. Lots of Docs, AF scientists, and even the occasional WSO or two (i.e. Col Good). </p>
<p>First step: bust your patootie in school (a technical / engineering degree is the usual path). Second step: whatever job you get in the AF, continue to bust your patootie. The folks selected are ALWAYS at the top in their career fields; they pedal faster and harder than everyone else, and keep up that pace the entire time. Third step (for the flyer types): test flight school. Probably the hardest selection process outside of NASA itself. </p>
<p>For Astronaut slots, usually over 200 candidates apply for each class, just from the AF side, and the AF usually only picks 10 or so to compete. </p>
<p>Bottom Line: you want this, you got to earn it.</p>