NASA Astronaut Available Via Internet to Discuss Recruiting

As NASA looks to new, deep space destinations and an ambitious commercial transportation system to the International Space Station, the agency is recruiting the next generation of explorers to make these momentous journeys.

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To discuss this opportunity and application procedures, veteran astronaut Rex Walheim will be available for interviews live via internet teleconferencing from 8:30 to 10 a.m. CST on Friday, Dec. 16.

NASA is accepting applications for the agency's next class in the Astronaut Candidate Program through Jan. 27, 2012. After applicant interviews and evaluations, the agency expects to announce the final selections in 2013. Those selected will go on to become an integral part in the planning and execution of NASA's future missions.

Walheim has flown on three spaceflights, including the STS-135 mission in July, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Program. That mission delivered 9,400 pounds of spare parts, equipment and other supplies to the station, which will help sustain operations on the orbiting outpost during the next year.

A native of Redwood City, Calif., Walheim is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and holds a master's degree from the University of Houston. He is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.

To arrange an interview, news media must contact the Johnson Space Center newsroom at 281-483-5111 by 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15. Interviews will be conducted via internet teleconferencing.

For more information about the astronaut application and selection process and to follow the latest news via NASA accounts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/flynasa

For Walheim's biography, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/walheim.html

Joshua BuckHeadquarters, Washington202-358-1100[email protected]

Nicole Cloutier-LemastersJohnson Space Center, Houston281-483-5111[email protected]

/PRNewswire-USNewswire -- Dec. 13, 2011/

SOURCE NASA