Those of you who can’t afford a private flight into space take heart. NASA has opened recruitment for its 2009 class of astronauts under the cornball slogan ‘NASA has space for you’. If you’re between 5’2” and 6’3”, a US citizen and prepared to travel you could be on your way to space. “Possible destinations may include, but are not limited to, Texas, Florida, California, Russia, Kazakhstan, the International Space Station and the moon,” says NASA (job advert, press release).

Starting salaries of between $59,493 and $130,257 are on offer for the 10 to 15 people selected, according to the USA Jobs site. Applicants are requested to have a degree in engineering, science, or maths and three years relevant experience. It seems teaching counts as relevant experience but sadly being a science journalist does not. “Typically, successful applicants have significant qualifications in engineering or science, or extensive experience flying high-performance jet aircraft,” notes the press release.

The Houston Chronicle says this is the first time in nearly 30 years that the space agency has issued a call for recruits to fly on craft other than the shuttle. Space.com adds that this will be the first set of ‘space-flyers’ since 2004. Unlike the South Korean recruitment programme it does not seem at this stage that NASA plans to use an American Idol style TV contest to select their next space farer, although in the wake of the Nowak affair applicants can expect some fairly rigorous psychological screening…

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