Your childhood dreams aren’t dead yet: NASA needs more astronauts
I’m ready
A changing role
NASA’s job requirements have changed dramatically since the first astronauts were recruited in 1959.
That could be to your advantage. Many of today’s space cadets wouldn’t have stood a chance back then.
All seven of the original apprentices were military test pilots, a requirement President Eisenhower introduced to simplify the selection process.
The applicants needed a minimum of 1,500 hours flying time and a bachelor’s degree or equivalent. They also had to be under 40-years-old, in excellent physical condition, andshorter than 5-foot-11.
This left a pool of just 108 men from the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. A range of examinations whittled that down to a final seven.
Today’s recruits have been spared some of these demands. But they also have to fulfill some new ones.
The application process
The2021 recruits— the first new class in four years — had to be UScitizens.
If, like me, you’re a dirty foreigner, there arevarious convoluted paths to citizenship. This being America, the quickest route isbecoming filthy rich.
The candidates also needed a master’s degree in a STEM-related field or one of the following:
Flying experience, however, was no longer essential. The program required either two years of relevant professional experience or 1,000 hours offlight time in command of a jet aircraft.
I believe I can fly
The class of 2021 was chosen from a field of more than 12,000 applicants.
The 10 recruits range in age from 32 to 45. Every candidate possesses enviable academic qualifications, although not all of them are stereotypical space nerds.
While the crop includes Air Force majors and NASA aerospace engineers, some of them are merely brilliant scientists.
I’m hoping NASA drops the entry standards for the next class. With crewed missions to Mars on the horizon, space wars brewing, andElon Muskplanning to make us an interplanetary species, there’s never been a better time to become an astronaut.
I look forward to toasting our future trips through space. The first glass ofrecycled urineis on me.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.Thomas is a senior reporter at TNW. He covers European tech, with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, and government policy.
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