It’s never too late to fulfill that childhood dream.
NASA announced Monday that it is accepting applications for new astronauts who could wind up walking on the moon — and maybe even Mars.
The space agency says it’s looking for a few good men and women to fill its ranks as it aims to return to the moon by 2024 and to land on Mars by the mid-2030s.
“America is closer than any other time in history since the Apollo program to returning astronauts to the Moon. We will send the first woman and next man to the lunar South Pole by 2024, and we need more astronauts to follow suit on the Moon, and then Mars,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a release.
“We’re looking for talented men and women from diverse backgrounds and every walk of life to join us in this new era of human exploration that begins with the Artemis program to the Moon. If you have always dreamed of being an astronaut, apply now.”
But scoring one of the coveted jobs won’t be a walk in the park. The last time the agency took applications for new astronauts in 2015, 18,300 people applied — and just 11 were selected, CNN reported.
“Becoming an astronaut is no easy task because being an astronaut is no easy task,” Steve Koerner, NASA’s director of flight operations, told the network.
“Those who apply will be competing against thousands who have dreamed of and worked toward going to space for as long as they can remember,” Koerner said. “But somewhere among those applicants are our next astronauts, and we look forward to meeting you.”
Applicants must be US citizens and have an advance degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field, as well as a minimum of two years of “related professional experience,” or at least 1,000 hours piloting a jet.
NASA hasn’t landed an astronaut on the moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
The agency has trained 350 astronaut candidates since the 1960s and currently has 48 active — but hopes to boost that number with online applications, according to CNN.
Aspiring space cadets have until March 31 to begin the application process, with the next class of astronauts to be selected by the middle of next year, the agency said.
