Want to be an astronaut? NASA will start accepting applications soon

Folks with stellar ambitions will have a place to channel their energies in March when NASA opens up the application process for its storied astronaut corps.

From March 3 to 31, applicants interested in flying to the International Space Station – and possibly even to the moon as part of the Artemis program – will be able to kick off the process at usajobs.gov. For the first time, the application will also include a two-hour online assessment.

Requirements to apply include:

• Must be a citizen of the United States.

• Must hold a master's degree in a STEM field: engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics.

• The master's degree requirement also can be met with two years of work toward a doctorate program in a STEM field; completed medical doctor degree or doctor of osteopathic medicine degree; or completion of a test pilot school program.

• Must have two years of "related, progressively responsible professional experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft," NASA said.

If selected, candidates must be able to pass the agency's long-duration physical. NASA hopes to make the final decisions by mid-2021.

The corps currently includes 48 astronauts. Since the 1960s, 350 have been selected to train as astronaut candidates for programs ranging from Apollo to modern-day spacecraft like SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's Starliner.

“We’re celebrating our 20th year of continuous presence aboard the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit this year, and we’re on the verge of sending the first woman and next man to the moon by 2024,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. “We’re asking all eligible Americans if they have what it to takes to apply beginning March 2.”

To learn more, visit nasa.gov/astronauts.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly. Support his space journalism by subscribing at floridatoday.com/specialoffer/.