In preparation for its upcoming journey to Mars, NASA recently announced that the agency is looking for new astronauts to join them in their mission.
"This next group of American space explorers will inspire the Mars generation to reach for new heights, and help us realize the goal of putting boot prints on the Red Planet," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.
Starting on Dec. 14, interested new astronauts may send their application at www.usajobs.gov and join the ranks of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Scott Kelly. So what are the requirements to become one of the new space explorers? One must be a U.S. citizen. One needs a bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics.
He/she must have three years of professional experience or 1,000 pilot time. And he/she must also pass the long-duration spaceflight physical test, which includes the criteria that one should not be taller than 6 feet and 4 inches.
"Those selected for this service will fly on U.S.-made spacecraft from American soil," Bolden announced.
Yahoo!, in its report, said that the new class of astronauts will be announced in 2017. The new astronauts, accordingly, will travel in space through NASA's deep-space exploration vehicle Orion or through the commercial spacecraft, Space X's Crew Dragon or Boeing's Starliner.
"This is an exciting time to be a part of America's human space flight program," said Brian Kelly of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "NASA has taken the next step in the evolution of our nation's human spaceflight program-and our U.S. astronauts will be at the forefront of these new and challenging space flight missions."
Meanwhile, Telegraph, in its report, said that NASA will be holding a press conference today to reveal new findings about Mars and the possibility of life in the Red Planet. The press conference will be broadcast live. Some of the findings that will be discussed are the following: how Mars lost its atmosphere, the existence of life in Mars, the safety of habitation in Mars and "a final surprise."
