With the Space Shuttle only a memory and manned flights to the moon, Mars or anywhere else grounded by the economy, NASA reports getting the second highest number of new astronaut applications in its 54-year history.
The 6,300 applications for the position of astronaut received by NASA since Nov. 15, 2001, was second only to the 8,000 applications received in 1978. Typically, the space agency receives between 2,500 and 3,500 applicants for astronaut positions.
"This is a great time to join the NASA family," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden in a press release. "Our newest astronauts could launch aboard the first commercial rockets to the space station the next generation of scientists and engineers who will help us reach higher and create an American economy that is built to last."
For NASA, creating an economy "built to last" means not spending money Congress won't give it on manned flights to the moon or beyond and, for now, hitching rides to the space station with the Russians.
See: No Money, No Mars, No Moon, Obama's Spaceflight Panel Finds
From the pool of 6,300 applicants, only nine to 15 people will have the "right stuff" to make it through the rigorous process of interviews and medical testing and be chosen to serve in the 21st astronaut class.
"Our team not only will be looking at their academic background and professional accomplishments but also at other elements of their personality and character traits -- what types of hobbies they have or unique life experiences," said Peggy Whitson, chief of NASA's Astronaut Selection Office. "We want and need a mix of individuals and skills for this next phase of human exploration."
NASA expects to announce its final selection of new astronauts by the spring of 2013.
Also See:
NASA Says Cannot Afford to Track Asteroids
NASA Names Shuttle Display Sites, Houston Snubbed
What the Space Shuttle Program Cost
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