“It’s not at all surprising to me that so many Americans from diverse backgrounds want to personally contribute to blazing the trail on our journey to Mars,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former space shuttle commander, in a statement.
After reporting at the Johnson Space Center in Houston the astronaut candidates will go through about two years of initial training on spacecraft systems, spacewalking skills and teamwork, Russian language and other requisite skills, he added.
Applications closed Thursday and the names of the lucky wannabes few will be announced next year with preference given to professional pilots, engineers, scientists and doctors.
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