Many children dream of becoming astronauts, but for most, the dream just gets lost somewhere along the way; but that no longer has to be the case, especially considering the exciting times we are living in.

NASA may have retired its space orbiters, but there are still many manned missions planned for the International Space Station – and beyond, and NASA wants to make sure they have the best applicants, so in order to do this, they are accepting candidate applicants starting today; if you think you don’t even come close, you should know that the minimum requirements are only a bachelor degree in engineering, science or math and three years of relevant professional experience.

Also, NASA is also seeking out teachers from kindergarten through Grade 12 as part of its Educator Astronaut Program. If you think you are qualified and you have something good to offer to the program, then by all means, submit your application until January 27, 2012; who knows, it might actually turn your childhood dream into reality. You can apply and find out more details about the NASA astronaut application program here.