{"id":19458,"date":"2016-02-20T23:58:14","date_gmt":"2016-02-20T15:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/18300-applicants-face-1-in-2000-chance-of-being-picked-for-astronaut-job-at-nasa\/"},"modified":"2016-02-20T23:58:14","modified_gmt":"2016-02-20T15:58:14","slug":"18300-applicants-face-1-in-2000-chance-of-being-picked-for-astronaut-job-at-nasa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/18300-applicants-face-1-in-2000-chance-of-being-picked-for-astronaut-job-at-nasa\/","title":{"rendered":"18,300 applicants face 1-in-2,000 chance of being picked for astronaut job at NASA"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Astronaut
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly snaps a selfie during a spacewalk at the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You think it\u2019s hard to get into Harvard? Try making an impression when you\u2019re among the record-high group of 18,300 people who applied to be an astronaut.<\/p>\n

NASA says that tally is three times as high as the number who applied the last time the space agency put out the call, for the Class of 2013. And it far exceeds the previous record of 8,000 applications, set in 1978 during the buildup to the space shuttle program.<\/p>\n

Now that the application deadline has passed, NASA\u2019s Astronaut Selection Board will have to winnow through the pile. The space agency expects to choose somewhere between eight and 14 astronaut candidates for the Class of 2017. That means the acceptance rate will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 0.05 percent, compared to a 6 percent rate for Harvard.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have our work cut out for us with this many applications,\u201d Brian Kelly, director of flight operations at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center, acknowledged Friday in a news release. \u201cBut it\u2019s heartening to know so many people recognize what a great opportunity this is to be part of NASA\u2019s exciting mission. I look forward to meeting the men and women talented enough to rise to the top of what is always a pool of incredible applicants.\u201d<\/p>\n