NASA Awash In Astronaut Applications, But Still Lacks Spaceships | NASA Astronauts & Human Spaceflight | NASA Deep Space Missions & Space Exploration

The current and former astronauts who formed the crews of STS-1, the first space shuttle mission, and STS-135, the final shuttle mission, pose for a group photo in a training facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Nov. 2, 2011. They are, from left, Doug Hurley, STS-135 pilot, Robert Crippen, STS-1 pilot, John Young, STS-1 commander, with STS-135 commander Chris Ferguson, and mission specialists Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. CREDIT: NASA/Houston Chronicle, Smiley N. Pool View full size image

NASA may not have space shuttles to launch people into the final frontier anymore, but that hasn't stopped Americans from lining up in droves for the chance to join the agency's iconic astronaut corps during the latest recruitment drive.

The U.S. space agency received more than 6,300 applications between Nov. 15 and Jan. 27 during the search for new astronauts – making it second-highest turnout ever and double the normal response, NASA officials said. The all-time record for most astronaut applications was set in 1978, when more than 8,000 people sent in submissions, they added. [...]

Full article at space.com

 

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