For the first time in more than four years, NASA is accepting astronaut applications.
Aspiring explorers dreaming of touring the Moon or traversing Mars have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 31, to apply.
“America is closer than any other time in history since the Apollo program to returning astronauts to the Moon,” according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
“We will send the first woman and next man to the lunar South Pole by 2024,” he continued. “And we need more astronauts to follow suit on the Moon, and then Mars.”
Final candidates are expected to begin training next year as the next class of Artemis-generation astronauts.
Last time NASA listed this job (in late 2015), a record-breaking 18,300 people applied. After more than two years of intense training, 11 cadets were selected to graduate earlier this year in the agency’s first public ceremony.
“Becoming an astronaut is no easy task, because being an astronaut is no easy task,” Steve Koerner, NASA’s director of flight operations and chair of the Astronaut Selection Board, said in a statement.
“Those who apply will likely be competing against thousands who have dreamed of and worked toward going to space for as long as they can remember,” Koerner added. “But somewhere among those applicants are our next astronauts, and we look forward to meeting you.”
Basic requirements include United States citizenship and a master’s degree in a STEM field (engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, mathematics) from an accredited institution.
No master’s? No problem.
U.S. nationals can also enlist with one of the following:
- Two years (36 semester hours/54 quarter hours) of work toward a PhD program in a related science, technology, engineering, or math field
- A completed doctor of medicine or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree
- Completion (or current enrollment that will result in completion by June 2021) of a nationally recognized test pilot school program*
Candidates must also have at least two years of “related, progressively responsible professional experience” (whatever that means), or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft.
Assuming you meet all of those requirements, you’ll have to pass NASA’s long-duration spaceflight physical. And, for the first time, take an online assessment that will require “up to two hours to complete.”
Fresh-faced astronauts could find themselves living and working 250 miles from Earth aboard the ISS. Or perhaps launching in the Orion spacecraft to the Moon’s surface.
The full-time position comes with a salary of $104,898-$161,141 per year.
After returning humans to our satellite in 2024, NASA plans to establish sustainable lunar exploration before the end of the decade. New data collected on and around the Moon will prepare the agency to send people to Mars in the mid-2030s.
With 48 astronauts in the active corps, more are needed to serve as crew aboard spacecraft bound for multiple destinations.
“We’re looking for talented men and women from diverse backgrounds and every walk of life to join us in this new era of human exploration that begin with the Artemis program to the Moon,” Bridenstine said. “If you have always dreamed of being an astronaut, apply now.”
U.S. citizens can submit applications to #BeAnAstronaut online.
* If test pilot school is your only advanced degree, you must also have a bachelor’s degree or higher in a STEM field
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- NASA Unveils Lunar Spacesuit for Artemis-Generation Astronauts
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