Take your protein pills and put your helmet on - La NASA busca 15 nuevos astronautas…

By MARK CARREAU
Source: NASA

• Must be a U.S. citizen between 5-foot-2 and 6-foot-3 in height (to squeeze into Russia's three-passenger Soyuz capsule).

• At least a bachelor's degree in engineering, a biological or physical science, or mathematics; and three years of relevant professional experience.

• Vision correctable to20/20. For the first time, the space agency will consider applicants who have undergone successful refractive eye surgery.

NASA posted a hiring notice for new astronauts Tuesday, seeking for the first time in almost 30 years men and women to fly aboard spacecraft other than the shuttle.The pilots, scientists, engineers and educators that NASA recruits will train primarily for three- to six-month missions aboard the international space station. However, some could be among those who stroll on the surface of the moon as part of NASA's plan to return human explorers to the lunar surface by 2020 aboard the shuttle fleet's successor spacecraft.The space agency's help-wanted notice for 10 to 15 new space fliers was posted Tuesday on www.usajobs.com, the federal government's employment Web site.

Several thousand people are expected to apply by the July 1 deadline. They will join a similar number who've applied to NASA in previous years and now must update their applications and convert them from paper to the new electronic format.

NASA offers a starting annual salary of $59,493 to $130,257, depending on qualifications and experience.

After two years of basic training, the new astronauts will become eligible for assignment to a mission. But past practice indicates they will first draw assignments supporting more senior astronauts and face at least another year of mission-specific training before they head for the launch pad.