Want to be an astronaut? NASA opens rare job posting as new class graduates

By Team Asianet Newsable | First Published Mar 6, 2024, 1:02 PM IST

The space agency also opened the application process for the next group of prospective space explorers. The application process opens March 1 and runs through March 31, with the new class expected to be selected in 2024.

Along with celebrating the graduation of its most recent class of astronaut candidates, NASA announced that applications for its next generation of potential space explorers are now being accepted.

Six people who finished more than two years of basic training to be qualified for spacecraft commander positions, ISC expedition teams, and Artemis Moon missions made up the 2023 Astronaut Candidate Class. The Johnson Space Center in Houston served as the venue for their graduation ceremony.

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"NASA's corps of astronauts is a group of people who are striving to push the boundaries of exploration farther into the cosmos than ever before," Bill Nelson, the administrator of NASA, stated. He further said, "This talented group of astronaut candidates has taken the initial, important first steps toward lunar missions as part of Nasa's Artemis program."

As this new class enters the ranks of active astronauts, NASA is already looking ahead, soliciting applications for the next generation of astronauts that will support the advancement of human space exploration. The deadline to apply is March 1 and it closes on March 31. The next class will be chosen in 2024.

NASA Chief Astronaut Reid Wiseman stated, "Future explorers in our Artemis astronaut corps will help define our path outward into the cosmos for generations to come. We are seeking the next generation to explore Earth's neighborhood, the Moon, and prepare for Mars."

NASA expects to choose the next class from among a broad group of US citizens with a range of disciplines, including scientists, engineers, pilots, and process specialists. A master's degree in a STEM discipline is necessary, in addition to 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command experience or at least three years of relevant experience.

The pay range for astronaut candidates falls between the top two salary levels for federal positions in the Houston region, as per the data from FederalPay.org, a platform utilized by government workers. In 2020, Nasa advertised that astronaut candidates would earn between approximately $105,000 and $161,000.

As NASA prepares for ever-higher-profile space missions, such as the crewed lunar landings planned for the Artemis program, the upcoming class of astronaut candidates will be essential in continuing to push the envelope of human exploration. The agency is searching for the next wave of space trailblazers, and a fresh application window has opened.

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