“And now for something completely different.”

It feels sometimes like there are nuggets of news so monumental, that the entire world will stop whatever it’s doing to stare for a few moments. But then, after that moment, things just sort of keep on going. The world just goes right on turning, turning, and turning, and the news cycles right along with it.

Speaking of turning planets, here’s something neat that’s going on: NASA is looking for new astronauts for another manned moon mission. Jeez, it sure took them long enough. This isn’t going to be just another touch and run, though. NASA’s looking to set up a long-term base on the moon through a series of multiple landings. One to scope things out, one to set up resource delivery, one to deliver building supplies, so on and so forth. It’s going to take a hot minute; the first mission is planned for some time this year, and after the successive missions, NASA is hoping to have a permanent base established near the moon’s south pole by 2024.

So, I’m sure we all wanted to grow up to be astronauts when we were kids, and the opportunity has most definitely presented itself, but NASA’s got some pretty picky criteria. All applicants have to be US citizens with either a Master’s degree or two years toward a doctorate in a STEM field. You’ll also need a good 1,000 hours as a pilot in command of a flying vessel under your belt. Even with all that stuff, remember that that’s just the baseline for application. You’ll still have to run the usual astronaut battery to determine whether you’re physically and mentally fit for space travel.

If you’re interested in applying, the deadline is the end of March.