Ever looked at the moon and thought, man, I'd love to work there? Well, NASA is hiring.
Announced over the weekend, applications are now open for the next batch of astronauts who will train specifically to work and live on the lunar surface.
The U.S. space agency is looking for the next class to be trained at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, those "who will join NASA as America returns to the Moon, builds the Moon Base, and lays the groundwork for the first crewed missions to Mars." Applications close 11:59 p.m. ET Dec. 3 and NASA will make its selections in late 2027.
Saturday's announcement came with a "NASA wants you" recruitment video, featuring NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Andre Douglas, Deniz Burnham, Randy Bresnik, Kayla Barron, Jack Hathaway, and Chris Williams.
Of course, you can't just spacewalk into a job on the moon. To apply, you'll need to be a U.S. citizen with a master's degree in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) field from an accredited institution. If you don't have the latter, NASA will also accept currently enrolled or completed Test Pilot School students (who also have a STEM bachelor's degree), people with medical degrees with professional experience or completed residency training, or people who have completed two years of a STEM-based doctoral program. Candidates also need at least three post-degree years in their field.
Applying pilots also need to have considerable flight experience and pilot-in-command time whether in high-performance jet, rotary-wing, or other fix-wing aircrafts.
Along with a dazzling CV, applicants will need to upload five references (not letters of recommendation), all STEM-related academic transcripts, and if necessary, a completed pilot qualifications form. Candidates can then track their applications online.
It's been two years since NASA opened astronaut applications in 2024, from which 10 candidates made it through from over 8,000 applications. Nicknamed "The Platypi," the class of 2026 are currently training at Johnson Space Center. When their training's complete, they'll join the 32 active astronauts at NASA in missions and tasks like spacecraft development and maintenance (including those all-important spacewalks), research experiments, Mission Control ground support, and more. Who knows? A future Artemis mission could be on your CV.
"This is an extraordinary time to join NASA’s astronaut corps," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman in a press statement. "The people we select could walk on the Moon, live and work at the Moon Base, and help pioneer the systems and operations that will ultimately carry crews to Mars."
So, if you think you meet NASA's requirements (and I certainly don't), you can apply to be an astronaut via the U.S. government's job website.
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