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NASA's Search For Astronauts Yields a Deluge of Applicants

Posted by timothy on from the yes-that's-the-plural dept.

NASA, notes Ars Technica, has just produced a bumper crop of applicants for the coveted job of astronaut. 18,300 would-be astronauts applied to be part of the 2017 hiring class. It would be good to keep a backup job in mind, though: NASA's astronaut applications have surged even as its flight opportunities have fallen by about 90 percent. Back in the early 2000s during the peak of the space shuttle program, NASA had more than 150 active astronauts. That's because the shuttle, with six to seven launches a year, afforded 40 to 50 annual flights into space. The number of active astronauts is now about one-third of that peak due to the shuttle's retirement in 2011. With no Shuttle, and only one real destination (the International Space Station), those 18,300 astronauts will be whittled down to 8-14 candidates.

9 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. Fix unicode already! by mark-t · · Score: 4, Insightful

    An increasing number of submissions lately have had text copy-pasted right out of the article, only to get mangled by Slashdot's inability to cope with UTF8.

    It's 2015, can Slashdot please join the 21st century already?

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    File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
    1. Re:Fix unicode already! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      In some places, it's even 2016. What happened, off your meds?

    2. Re:Fix unicode already! by whipslash · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Gah. Fixed the story. Unicode will be supported soon.

  2. Wowâ(TM)zers by zamboni1138 · · Score: 2

    Thatâ(TM)s a pretty amazing turn-out. Iâ(TM)m interested to see how they plan to use this new crop of star voyagerâ(TM)s.

    Iâ(TM)ll try not to get my hopes up given our current financial situation. But maybe theyâ(TM)ll be able to figure something out.

    1. Re:Wowâ(TM)zers by ClickOnThis · · Score: 4, Funny

      It's funny; I've become so accustomed to shitty unicode support that I rarely notice problems like this. My brain just screens out the junk and I see the word that was meant, unless I stop and really look at it.

      All you see now is blonde, brunette, redhead?

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      If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
    2. Re:Wowâ(TM)zers by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

      A few more weeks and we should have it taken care of. Story fixed.

      You do that and I'm gonna plant a big wet kiss on your forehead, you sexy Slashdot overlord you.

      http://www.tvworthwatching.com...

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      You are welcome on my lawn.
    3. Re: Wowâ(TM)zers by PopeRatzo · · Score: 3, Funny

      What are you a fag?

      No, I'm a unicode whore.

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      You are welcome on my lawn.
  3. Bigelow Aerospace by WindBourne · · Score: 2

    Seriously, if we have multiple human launchers, then Bigelow will be up there with their space station alpha that holds 12 - 18. NASA will no doubt want to take some of the slots so that they can train more ppl for going to deep space, moon, and mars.
    But, where this will REALLY matter, is that Bigelow wants to put a base on the moon around 2020-2022. NASA will likely take most of the slots for that.

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    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
  4. Re:Figure is misleading by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 2

    probably 2% are baseline qualified

    The figure is closer to 100%. That 18,000 number sounds suspiciously close to the number of humans whom, if properly rendered reduced and freeze-dried, would comprise a perfect nutritional supplement for a long term Mars Mission and colony. Everybody gets to go into space! It's a win.

    SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE

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    <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>