Did you know that there are only ten flights left in NASA’s space shuttle program? It’s true. STS-124, which landed back on June 14, was the 123rd shuttle flight and the 35th flight of the Discovery vehicle. The next flight, STS-125, will be in October 2008 and will be the final Hubble servicing mission. The shuttle fleet is due to be retired in 2010.
With all of these “final” events taking place, it makes me sad. I grew up with the space shuttle and I never lost the sense of awe that I had for the spacecraft or the astronauts — if anything, with greater access to NASA in the past decade, my understanding, respect, and admiration has only grown. Still, looking forward to March 2015 — the current estimate for when the Ares and Orion vehicles will be ready for initial operation — I’m excited about Constellation. I only wish that more people knew about the program.
What many people do know about, however vaguely, is the Astronaut Selection process. What you may not know is that the application process for the 2009 Astronaut Candidate Class is accepting applications through July 1! This class will support the International Space Station (ISS) Program. Apply online at usajobs.gov — search for “astronaut”. Oh, and in case you weren’t aware, frequent travel may be required.
