NASA boasts record number of astronaut applications

NASA says it has received a record number of astronaut training applications, with more than 18,300 people submitting their bid to become one of the nation's next space travelers. In comparison, only 8,000 applications were received back in 1978. The number further dwindled to 6,300 in 2012. NASA had opened to new applications last month, and just recently stopped accepting them on February 18, tallying up the numbers before the long process of picking out finalists.

This pool of applicants will be used to select some individuals who will go on to astronaut training, a long and difficult process that includes things like mastering the Russian language, getting their SCUBA certificate, mastering military-grade water survival training, and more. Before proceeding to those tasks, though, the selected applicants will have to undergo a variety of interviews and assessments.

It will ultimately take 18 months for NASA to choose the individuals who will move on to be astronaut candidates — between 8 and 14 people will be selected. If all goes as planned, NASA will announced its choices in summer 2017. Prospective candidates won't have to wait that long to find out, though, as NASA will invite them down to the Johnson Space Center in Houston ahead of the finalized selections.

Said NASA's Administrator Charlie Bolden:

It's not at all surprising to me that so many Americans from diverse backgrounds want to personally contribute to blazing the trail on our journey to Mars. A few exceptionally talented men and women will become the astronauts chosen in this group who will once again launch to space from U.S. soil on American-made spacecraft.

Once the final candidates are selected, they will move on to undergo a couple years of dedicated astronaut training involving the aforementioned tasks, as well as learning things like how to spacewalk and operating the agency's spacecraft systems. The final candidates could end up being sent to the ISS, a couple of commercial spacecraft crews, or be part of the Orion deep space mission.

SOURCE: NASA