Did you know NASAAstronauts learn to fly a jet before they fly a spacecraft? From a T-38 jet, astronaut JonnyKimUSA took this photo during a training flight with test pilot and fellow astronaut Raja Chari. He wrote, "test pilots like Raja and many others at NASA have helped lead our organization beyond human boundaries into space.” Five of eleven astronauts from our 2020 class began their careers as pilots, but all our astronauts learn to fly the T-38 during their training. These flights help them prepare for the rigors of going to space - the jet can fly supersonic up to Mach 1.6, soar above 40,000 feet, and wrench pilots through more than seven Gs, or seven times the force of gravity. And while the controls of the T-38 aren't the same as a spacecraft, astronauts say the need to think quickly in changing situations and carefully follow procedures is critical preparation for spaceflight and spacewalks. Credit: NASA/Jonny Kim #NationalAviationDay #aviation #t38 #pilot #astronauts #n...