NASA has made a new call for astronauts, and all those interested can start applying in December 14. According to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden’s statement, the space agency is looking for astronaut candidates for the 2016 class, some of whom could become part of future Mars missions.
- NASA calls for astronaut applicants starting December 2015 – deadline is February 2016
- The space agency presented the requirements on its website
- Chosen candidates will find out mid-2016
“Putting boot prints on the Red Planet” is a great purpose, as Bolden added, and this new class of American space explorers have the chance to be directly involved in the Mars generation. The lucky few who will be selected will fly aboard the International Space Station and advance the research to push the boundaries of deep space technology.
NASA’s requirements for those who hope to be viable applicants might not be many in number, but they sure sift through the possible candidates. In order to be considered for a position as an astronaut, you must first have a bachelor’s degree in a math, science, engineering, or tech field.
You also need “at least three years of related, progressively responsible professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft.” Last but not least, you’ll have to be able to pass a NASA physical exam – which you shouldn’t expect to be a walk in the park.
If you think you check out and apply, there’s a bit of a wait before NASA will let you know if you’ve been given a spot in the much coveted and very competitive team of NASA astronauts. If you’ve been picked as an astronaut candidate – or ASCAN, the term used within NASA – you’ll know somewhere mid-2017, as stated in the announcement.
Great plans are made for this class of astronauts, who will have the amazing opportunity to fly on four different spaceflight crafts. Boeing and SpaceX are two of the private spaceflight companies both that are under contract to start flying NASA astronauts to the ISS by 2017.
Brian Kelly, head of Flight Operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, has expressed his excitement over the next class of astronauts, as this is a great “time to be a part of America’s human space flight program.”
NASA’s last class of astronauts – 8 more people – was chosen in 2013, adding to the other 39 people that make up the core of active members at the space agency. The ASCANs were chosen from more than 6,100 applications.
Image Source: NASA.gov
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