Aspiring astronauts, your wait is finally over! You can now apply to become one as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA now accepts new applicants as it aims to send another man-and-woman pair of astronauts to the moon on 2024. As part of the Artemis Generation, the next batch of astronauts will get to the moon, and eventually, to Mars around mid-2030.
NASA recently tweeted about the announcement with the opening line "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to #BeAnAstronaut?"
Today's the day.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to #BeAnAstronaut? Applications to join the newest class of #Artemis explorers have just opened today. Get yours in before the deadline of March 31: https://t.co/2Nby0lqcj7 pic.twitter.com/ceBBVgB2A2 — NASA (@NASA) March 2, 2020
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stated in a news release that the United States is closer to sending astronauts back to the moon now than any other time in history since the Apollo program. He added that they will send the next man and the first woman to the lunar South Pole by 2024 and that more astronauts are needed to follow suit for both the moon and Mars.
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Stiff Competition
However, learning that NASA is currently accepting new applicants to study and become astronauts, who will soon be part of the team to reach the moon is not an easy task. The administrator said that before one gets lost in visions of himself or herself floating in space, he or she has to bear in mind that competition in this field is stiff. Last time that NASA received applications for new astronauts back in 2015, a record-breaking 18,300 people applied.
Out of the thousands of applicants, only 11 were selected. NASA's director of flight operations and chair of the astronaut selection board, Steve Koerner stated in a news release that indeed becoming an astronaut is never an easy task. Applicants are likely to compete against thousands with the same dream as theirs. NASA, however, expressed that they are looking forward to meeting their next team of competent astronauts.
48 Astronauts and Counting
Since the 60s, over 300 people have already trained to become astronaut candidates of NASA. At present, 48 astronauts belong to the active astronaut corps. However, the agency admitted that it needs more to further help its exploration initiatives. It added that the new astronauts could both work and live aboard the International Space Station or the ISS, and partake in experiments in preparation for a more distant exploration in space.
To add to the excitement, the aspiring astronauts can even get a chance to launch a new spacecraft. They can dock at Gateway, a new spaceship that NASA is planning to use to orbit the moon. After the planned second moon landing in 2024, NASA also plans to send another set of astronauts to the moon on annual expeditions. These exploration initiatives will hopefully back the agency as it prepares to send astronauts to Mars in the middle of the 2030s.
So if you think you got what it takes to be an astronaut, now is the best time to apply via the USAjobs website until March 31 of this year. Those who are interested to apply should be U.S. citizens and have already taken and completed an advanced notch in a STEM field, together with at least two years of professional experience related to the field, or, have, at least, completed 1,000 hours of "pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft." Lastly, candidates need to pass NASA's online and spaceflight physical assessment. The agency said it is set to select its new batch of candidates by the middle of 2021.
