NASA needs more astronauts, report says

Despite the end of the space shuttle program, NASA needs to hire more astronauts to maintain its presence on the International Space Station and prepare for the next generation of spaceflight, concludes a new report from the National Research Council, part of the congressionally chartered National Academy of Sciences.

NASA employes 59 astronauts, down from 150 a decade ago, and observers expect the agency to lose another half-dozen before the end of the year.

The report, which NASA paid for, warns that "the Astronaut Corps appears to be sized below the minimum required," and that the current corps size "poses a risk to the U.S. investment in human spaceflight capabilities."

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Howard Schneider 08 Sep, 2011

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