Good news! NASA is looking for new faces to be part of their space travels and studies. The best thing about it is the fact that the qualifications are very earthly.
The next class of astronauts, according to CBS News, will be participating in the space travels of NASA such as the first launches from the U.S. to the International Space Station on private ferry craft being developed by Boeing and SpaceX, planned for 2017, or ride into deep space on Orion, with ultimate sights set on Mars.
The applications shall run from December 14th to mid-February. The qualifications that you will need to fill in order to be part of NASA are the following (as posted by CBS News):
- A bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. This includes degrees in clinical or experimental psychology, but excludes aviation, geography and nursing.
- 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft, or 3 years of professional experience, which can include advanced degrees (master's, doctorate) and teaching at the kindergarten through high school level.
- To be at least 5 foot 2 and no taller than 6 foot 3. (There's more latitude for mission specialists, who can stand between 58.5 and 76 inches.)
- Blood pressure that does not exceed 140/90.
- To pass the NASA long-duration space flight physical examinations, which is similar to a military physical exam.
Of course, after the initial screening and selection, applicants will be tested through a week-long process of personal interviews, medical screenings and orientation. Moreover, the remaining applicants will be designated Astronaut Candidates and sent to the Johnson Space Center in Houston for a 2-year training and evaluation period that includes (as posted by CBS News):
- A swim test (three lengths of a pool and 10 minutes of treading water in flight suit and tennis shoes) and SCUBA qualification to prepare for NASA's underwater training program.
- Repeated exposure to microgravity and brief periods of weightlessness (up to 40 times in a day), as well as high (hyperbaric) and low (hypobaric) atmospheric pressure.
- Graduation from the candidate program also requires completion of: International Space Station systems training, extravehicular activity skills training, robotics skills training, Russian language training and aircraft flight readiness training.
It can be recalled that four men and four women were accepted out of more than 6,100 applicants in 2013 astronaut hiring.
Do you want to be part of NASA, as well? Are you planning to apply to become an astronaut?
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