The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Wednesday issued a hiring call for space explorers that may fly on future missions aboard commercially build spacecraft or the U.S. space agency's deep-space Orion capsule. With the U.S. spaceflight program grounded since 2011, when the space shuttle fleet was retired, NASA is looking to increase its number of astronauts, which currently consists of 47, down from 149 at the peak of the space-shuttle era in 2000. U.S. spacecraft are not scheduled to return to flight until 2017, but four astronauts already have been selected for the first spaceflights aboard Boeing's new spaceship, the CST-100 Starliner, in 2017 and SpaceX's Dragon crew capsule soon after. "More will be needed to crew future missions to the space station and destinations in deep space," NASA said in a statement. The U.S. space agency and private aerospace companies are preparing for new missions to the International Space Station as well as to deep space, including an asteroid and eventually Mars, perhaps by the 2030s. "With more human spacecraft in development in the United States today than at any other time in history, future astronauts will launch once again from the Space Coast of Florida on American-made commercial spacecraft, and carry out deep-space exploration missions that will advance a future human mission to Mars," NASA wrote. Hires will be announced in 2017. To be eligible, one must be a U.S. citizen with a university degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, or mathematics, as well as three years of professional experience or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft. There also are rigorous physical requirements. "This next group of American space explorers will inspire the Mars generation to reach for new heights, and help us realize the goal of putting boot prints on the red planet," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, a former astronaut.
