Responded to the call of 12 thousand potential space explorers.

Become an astronaut – is still quite an ambitious dream for many. But now it has become very real for those who genuinely wish to go to the stars. NASA publicly announced that anyone can become an astronaut – in the four States responded to the call of 12 thousand people, writes segodnya.ua.

The us space Agency said that is not looking for “just anyone”, but people with some experience. If wanting to be an astronaut holds a master’s degree in science, technology, engineering or math, he can get an advantage over everyone else.

The most promising candidates will be invited in for Johnson Space center in Houston for a personal interview and undergo medical examination, before moving on to the next stage of the selection process.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said that recently they have entered a new era of space exploration with the help of the Artemis program, which involves returning humans to the moon and building permanent bases there. The Agency is very pleased that many Americans have applied to join the first expedition to the moon.

“The next class of astronauts-generation Artemis will help us to better explore the moon than ever before. In the future, the project will lead us to Mars,” he added Bridenstine.

NASA has opened the application period on March 2 and received final bids yesterday. According to the Agency, they got the second largest number of applications. The previous set took place in January, when responded to 18.3 thousand applicants. One of the reasons for lesser number of applicants is associated with the increased demands of NASA. This time the candidates had to have at least a master’s degree in the field of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Moreover, the applications window has been reduced by a whole month.

NASA said that the next round for recruitment of candidates for the astronauts will be held in the summer of 2021.