NASA is accepting applications from people who want to become astronauts, and the agency says those selected would not only test spacecraft but would also live and work on the moon in a future moon base, NPR reported.
"Those missions will demand technical excellence, sound judgment, teamwork, and courage," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement released on Saturday. "NASA's astronaut corps has always called on remarkable Americans willing to take on extraordinary challenges in service to the nation." There are currently 32 active astronauts in NASA's astronaut corps. Since NASA missions began in the 1960s, the agency has selected 370 people to train as astronauts, according to the agency.
The process is extremely competitive. Out of more than 8,000 applicants for NASA's last astronaut class, only 10 candidates were selected. Applications will be received through Dec. 3. The starting salary is $164,395, NPR reported.
What applicants need, and what changed
Any U.S. citizen can apply, and there is no official age restriction, but applicants will need to have a master's degree in a STEM-related field such as engineering or math. In a recent change, a nursing degree qualifies. "Nursing degrees are now included in the STEM definition," Anna Schneider, a NASA spokesperson, told NPR on Sunday. "Master's-level nursing degrees now meet the minimum educational requirement, whereas nursing degrees were previously excluded." NASA is also requiring a minimum of three years of related professional experience after completing a degree. In lieu of a master's degree and working experience, NASA will consider those in a PhD program in STEM, as well as doctors or pilots with extensive flight experience.
If chosen, selected astronauts will undergo training that will last for two years. NASA said they will prepare for critical and difficult missions such as landing near the moon's South Pole. To achieve its goal of returning humans to the moon in 2028 — the first time since 1972 — NASA is relying on private companies such as Blue Origin and SpaceX to develop systems and spacecraft. During a Nov. 7 press conference on the Artemis III moon mission's progress, Isaacman said he is "very confident" the mission will launch in 2027, NPR reported.
The public facts in the announcement are specific: a Dec. 3 deadline, a $164,395 starting salary, a two-year training pipeline, a 32-person active corps, and a new door for nurses with master's degrees. Whether any of the people who apply this winter end up on a lunar base is a later question. The first filter is the one NASA just restated, and it is still extremely narrow.