Your childhood dreams may have been crushed, butNASAcould still fulfill them.
The report reveals that NASAs astronaut corps has shrunk from nearly 150 people to just 44.
These concerns have been bubbling for some time.
In March 2020,NASA announcedthat it needed new explorers to cover its expanding range of missions.
This could be you!.
Im already dusting off my resume and rewatchingArmaggedonin preparation for my interview.
Ive also been forensically analyzing NASAs astronaut requirements to give you a chance of joining me in space.
A changing role
NASAs job requirements have changed dramatically since the first astronauts were recruited in 1959.
That could be to your advantage.
Many of todays space cadets wouldnt have stood a chance back then.
The applicants needed a minimum of 1,500 hours flying time and a bachelors 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.
Todays recruits have been spared some of these demands.
But they also have to fulfill some new ones.
The app process
The2021 recruits the first new class in four years had to be UScitizens.
If, like me, youre a dirty foreigner, there arevarious convoluted paths to citizenship.
This being America, the quickest route isbecoming filthy rich.
This included testing for 20/20 vision andmeasurements for the spacecraft and spacesuit.
Applicants also had to be free of medical conditions that could cause issues in spaceflight.
Its a long list of requirements, butNASA plansto broaden the pool of future talent.
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.
Im hoping NASA drops the entry standards for the next class.
I look forward to toasting our future trips through space.
The first glass ofrecycled urineis on me.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
