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Al Feinberg
Headquarters, Washington             May 27, 2003
(Phone: 202/358-4504)

Doug Peterson
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

RELEASE: 03-183

NASA OPENS APPLICATIONS FOR NEW ASTRONAUT CLASS

     NASA is accepting applications for mission specialist 
and pilot astronaut candidates to join the 2004 Astronaut 
Candidate Class. 

To obtain an application package, call the Astronaut 
Selection Office in Houston at: 281/483-5907; or write to 
the Johnson Space Center, Astronaut Selection Office, Mail 
Code AHX, Houston, Texas 77058-3696. Application forms and 
additional information about the Astronaut Candidate Program 
are available electronically through the Astronaut Selection 
Office Web site at: 

http://www.nasajobs.nasa.gov/astronauts/

Typically, successful applicants for the mission specialist 
astronaut positions have significant qualifications in 
engineering or science, while pilot candidates must have 
extensive experience flying high-performance jet aircraft. 

Following an intensive six-month period of evaluation and 
interviews, the final selections will be announced in early 
2004. Astronaut candidates will report to the Johnson Space 
Center during the summer of 2004 to begin the basic training 
program to prepare them for future spaceflight assignments.

The application deadline is July 1, 2003. Applications 
received after July 1 will not be considered for the 2004 
class but will remain on file for subsequent selection 
cycles. 

The Astronaut Candidate Class of 2004 also will include 
educator astronauts, teachers who will join NASA's astronaut 
corps and encourage students to pursue studies in math and 
science. The Educator Astronaut Program (EAP) was announced 
in January, and applications closed April 30. More than 
1,100 EAP applications have been processed. Information 
about the Educator Astronaut Program is available on the 
Internet at: 

http://edspace.nasa.gov

For more information about NASA and the Human Space Flight 
Program on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

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