On 15 Jul 2003 03:04:32 -0700, (Steve Robeson, K4CAP)
wrote:

(Len Over 21) wrote in message
...

Get real. Any astronaut is required to perform many, many tasks as
part of their job...and that job is to be space crewfolk first, not "hams."
Getting a no-code tech ham license is an easy task for them...do it
once and a federal merit badge callsign is theirs to keep for a decade
plus two or a shuttle burns up on reentry...whichever comes first.

Oops...that's gonna getcha flamed.

An astronaut/ham's license is renewable for the life of the
astronaut/ham. So is any other ham's license. Once a ham becomes a
silent key, responsibility for licensing him or her passes to a higher
authority (who is a ham and has just bestowed the ultimate license
upgrade to the newly deceased - the privileges are unparallelled, but
the licensing requirements are rather steep - although no
demonstration of Morse proficiency is required, the written test is
reputed to be a real killer). However, the reference to shuttles
burning up on reentry was a poor choice of words.

73 DE John, KC2HMZ