NASA Is Hiring New Astronauts
Does being an astronaut suit you? It’s a serious question, mostly because NASA is interesting in adding more people to the crew. Starting with December 14th this year, NASA is hiring new astronauts. For some it might be the career of their lives and everything they have been working for, for others it might be the adventure of a lifetime. Either way, it is only up to you to decide how to prove that you are the right person.
It has been quite some time since NASA called out for more astronauts: four years, to be precise. And people who did apply back then and were not accepted are most likely going to try their luck again. Thus, only the people who are truly qualified for the job are going to make it. Even if you are a first timer, you still have a very good chance to see Earth from above.
For the time being, NASA only has 47 astronauts who can be deployed in flight assignments. The number is quite low compared to what they had back in 1999. You would be surprised that more than 150 astronauts were available during that time and the reasons why numbers went so low can be varied. The last recruitment session did not bring too many people aboard either: only eight people.
The crew numbers for flying out into space was either 6 or 7 and missions were usually planned with a distance of 3 months in between them. Nowadays, the crew that goes above can be comprised of 2 or 4 people. The International Space Station is their home for however long they need to be there and then they return down to earth for limited periods of time.
Plans for 2018 are looking good since NASA wants to add one more member to every crew that goes into space. There will also be agency astronauts who are going to participate in what are known as test flights for space taxis. Space taxis are currently being developed by Boeing and SpaceX, so that is definitely something we should be looking forward to.
So now that you know that NASA is hiring new astronauts, here are the requirements that you should fulfill: a bachelor’s degree in biological science, engineering, mathematics, physical science or engineering; at least three years of professional experience or you should at least have 1000 hours as a pilot-in-command time in any jet aircraft.
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