NASA has handed off space station shipments to private business so it can focus on getting astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit, namely to Mars.
Advertisement
We’re sure astronaut reached your top five.
The space agency announced Friday that it received more applications than ever before for their astronaut corps: More than 18,300 people applied for the most recent call for astronauts.
Between now and then, NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board will review the applications, assessing each candidate’s qualifications.
NASA’s huge social media push along with Hollywood’s renewed interest in space travel undoubtedly contributed to the record breaking number of applicants wanting to fly in space. They’ll also go through rigorous training on spacecraft systems, spacewalking, team dynamics and the Russian language, among other skills. “We have our work cut out for us with this many applications”, a NASA director of flight operations says.
More than 18,000 people applied to be an astronaut in NASA’s 2017 astronaut class.
They will then be assigned to the International Space Station, the Orion spacecraft for deep space exploration or one of two commercial crew spacecraft now in development-SpaceX’s Dragon crew capsule and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner.
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”.
“A few exceptionally talented men and women will become the astronauts chosen in this group who will once again launch to space from United States soil on American-made spacecraft”, Bolden said.
This new recruitment period followed shortly after the previous batch of astronauts had finished training, preparing them to become helpful in advancing the scientific studies taking place aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Advertisement
Officially, all applicants need in order to apply is a bachelor’s degree in engineering, biological or physical science, or mathematics, plus just three years of professional experience or 1,000 hours of pilot time.
