In a post on Facebook, NASA invited anyone who wants to go to Mars to put in an application.
“Have you looked all around the world for your dream job?” the post reads. “Maybe it’s time to look beyond.”
According to NASA, astronaut requirements have changed with NASA’s goals and missions. Today, to be considered for an astronaut position, applicants must meet the following qualifications:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Have a master’s degree* in a STEM field, including engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics, from an accredited institution.
- Have a minimum of three years of related professional experience obtained after degree completion (or 1,000 Pilot-in-Command hours with at least 850 of those hours in high performance jet aircraft for pilots) For medical doctors, time in residency can count towards experience and must be completed by June 2025.
- Be able to successfully complete the NASA long-duration flight astronaut physical.
- Astronaut candidates must also have skills in leadership, teamwork and communications.
Artemis Generation astronauts will explore and conduct experiments where humans have never been: the lunar South Pole.
How the application process works:
NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board reviews the applications and assesses each candidate’s qualifications. The board then invites a small group of the most highly qualified candidates for interviews at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Of those interviewed, about half are invited back for second interviews. From that group, NASA’s new astronaut candidates are selected. They report for training at Johnson and spend the next two years learning basic astronaut skills like spacewalking, operating the space station, flying T-38 jet planes and controlling a robotic arm.
With NASA’s plans for the future of exploration, new astronauts will fly farther into space than ever before on lunar missions and may be the first humans to fly on to Mars.
Do you think you have what it takes to explore space? Click here to apply to become an astronaut today!
Photo: NASA.
