NASA gets record number of astronaut applications

NASA astronaut Terry Virts (selected in 2000) took this spectacular spacewalk in 2015.

We’re sure astronaut reached your top five.

NASA said Friday it received a record 18,300 applications for its astronaut candidate training program.

However, over 18,000 candidates applied to become NASA astronauts and some will eventually have their dreams come true.

“It’s not at all surprising to me that so many Americans from diverse backgrounds want to personally contribute to blazing the trail on our journey to Mars”, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. Between now and then, NASA will have to reduce the list down to a handful of finalists, who will then be interviewed in person.

NASA will train astronauts on spacecraft systems, spacewalking skills, teamwork and Russian language.

The prospective astronauts all submitted their applications between December 14 and when the application period closed yesterday (Feb. 18) – and the total number is close to triple the applicants for NASA’s most recent astronaut class, in 2012. Selection will be announced in mid-2017, NASA said, which means you shouldn’t quit your job just yet.

Qualified candidates need to be USA citizens and have at least a bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, computer science or math, as well as three years of professional experience or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft.

NASA plans to put a man on Mars sometime in the 2030’s, but before that can happen it needs to successfully complete a number of other missions including a lunar flyby sometime around 2023.

Kelly, who’s less than two weeks from wrapping up an unprecedented yearlong mission for NASA, thanked everyone who worked on the Cygnus – “this great vehicle”.

The commercial crew spacecraft will carry four astronauts to the space station, expanding the orbiting laboratory’s crew from six to seven and effectively doubling the amount of crew time available to conduct the important research and technology demonstrations that are advancing our knowledge for the journey to Mars, while also returning benefits to Earth.