Washington: NASA will soon start recruiting for the next class of astronauts in anticipation of extending its operations into deep space environments and eventually launching a manned mission to Mars.
The US space agency will accept applications from December 14 through mid-February and expects to announce candidates selected in mid-2017. The next class of astronauts may fly on any of four different US vessels during their careers: the International Space Station, two commercial crew spacecraft currently in development by US companies, and NASA’s Orion exploration vehicle.
From pilots and engineers, to scientists and medical doctors, NASA selects astronaut candidates from a diverse pool of US citizens with wide variety of backgrounds. “This next group of American space explorers will inspire the Mars generation to reach for new heights, and help us realise the goal of putting boot prints on the Red Planet,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
“Those selected will fly on US made spacecraft from American soil, advance critical science and rese-arch aboard the Inter-national Space Station, and help push the boundaries of technology in the proving ground of deep space,” said Bolden. Flights in Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon will facilitate adding a seventh crew member to each station mission.
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