NASA recruited astronauts for Mars exploration campaign

On November 4, the US Space and Aeronautics Agency (NASA) announced that it would soon recruit new astronauts as part of an effort to prepare the mission to bring people to Mars.

NASA announces recruitment of astronauts to Mars

In a statement, NASA director Charles Bolden said the new US space explorer team would be able to take Mars research to new heights, as well as help realize the goal of bringing people set foot on Red planet.

NASA said the astronauts could fly on one of four different US ships during the operation, which is the International Space Station, two space commercial ships in development stage by the public. American companies and NASA's Orion space exploration ship - a vehicle that will take people to Mars in the 30s of this century.

Picture 1 of NASA recruited astronauts for Mars exploration campaign
NASA recruits astronauts to Mars, the time to receive applications starting December 14, 2015.

NASA said more applicants who want to join the program are required to be US citizens "with an extensive knowledge base" including pilots, engineers, scientists and medical doctors.

In addition, the mandatory requirement for candidates is to have a bachelor's degree at prestigious institutions in the fields of engineering, biological sciences, natural sciences or mathematics. Applicants also need to have at least three years of experience in the relevant field of expertise, or experience at least 1,000 hours of flying as the main pilot on fighter jets.

Additional conditions for candidates also include the ability to meet physical standards for long-term space exploration flights, with the required height of future astronauts from 1m57. to 1m90.

NASA announced the time to receive applications from December 14 to mid-February 2016 and is expected to announce the list of admissions in mid-2017.

So far, NASA has chosen more than 300 astronauts to perform space exploration missions. At the present time, there are 47 people in the astronaut team ready to carry out the mission.