Want to see the world? Apply to be an astronaut
Some jobs just don’t show up in the Help wanted ads: Starting quarterback, New England Patriots. Conductor, Cleveland Orchestra. Justice, U.S. Supreme Court.
So it might come as a surprise to scan usajobs.gov, the federal government’s employment site, and find the posting for astronaut – a full-time job “open to all qualified U.S. citizens.”
Yes, NASA is hiring.
The pay starts at $59,493 a year and goes up to $130,257. “Frequent travel may be required,” the posting states – no kidding – and candidates must pass a medical exam and background check. But don’t worry about being too old.
“There are no age restrictions. We’re a federal agency, we can’t discriminate,” said Teresa Gomez, who collects the applications as assistant manager of NASA’s astronaut selection office in Houston.
NASA draws from a pool of 106 astronauts – 91 Americans and 15 from foreign space agencies – to fly shuttle missions and staff the International Space Station. At least half a dozen retire or leave the program every year. The ranks must be replenished regularly.
Because the selection process takes so much time, Gomez said, the window for candidates opens only every five years. The current one opened in September and will close in July.
The requirements, Gomez said, are a bit tighter than the basic job posting indicates. Applicants have to be 62 to 75 inches tall, for starters, and have a degree in engineering, science or math. A bachelor’s degree might work, but a master’s is better. So are “unique experiences” in a candidate’s background. Plus “creativity, ambition, teamwork, a sense of daring and a probing mind.”
About 100 applicants will be picked for a week of interviews and screening in Houston to produce a new “class” of 10 to 15 astronauts.
Their horizons could be more limited than the ones astronauts once imagined, largely because NASA will retire the space shuttle in 2010.
“This class will probably not fly on the shuttle,” Gomez said. “Maybe a few will get into a new vehicle. This class will not even report until 2009” and won’t complete its training until 2011.
Instead, NASA’s recruiting is geared to support the International Space Station. At least a few of the space cadets will get to it – aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. Some could, conceivably, make it to the moon, where NASA hopes to return in 2020.
But the posting doesn’t mention that, and there are no guarantees the group will make it to space at all.
The “frequent travel” required by the job involves relocating to Houston and then spending time at various NASA facilities – “a lot of time away from home,” Gomez said.