Corps shrinks as space shuttles stop

Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.

NASA’s mighty astronaut corps has become a shadow of what it once was. And it’s only going to get smaller.

It’s down to 60 from an all-time high of 149 just a decade ago, with more departures coming once Atlantis returns this week from the last space shuttle voyage.

With no replacement on the horizon for the shuttle, astronauts are bailing fast, even though the International Space Station will need crews for at least another decade.

The commander of Discovery’s last flight back in March, Steven Lindsey? Gone to a company whose proposed commercial spacecraft resembles a mini-shuttle; his last day at NASA was Friday.

The skipper of Endeavour’s last mission in May, Mark Kelly? Retiring in another few months to write a memoir with his wounded congresswoman wife, Gabrielle Giffords.

The captain of Atlantis, Christopher Ferguson, assured The Associated Press from orbit late last week that he’ll be sticking around after this final shuttle journey of them all. At least one of his crew, though, isn’t so sure.

After spending her childhood wanting to be an astronaut — and achieving that goal in 1996 — Atlantis astronaut Sandra Magnus now has to figure out what the next chapter holds.

“Now that I’m an astronaut, the whole idea of what I want to do when I grow up comes back full circle,” said Magnus, a scientist and former space station resident who’s flown in space three times.

What a difference a decade makes.

NASA’s fabled astronaut corps numbered 149 in 2000-2001, the biggest group ever. Then shuttles were zooming back and forth building the space station, and a crew was being groomed to fly aboard Columbia to the Hubble Space Telescope. Now the space station is finished, Columbia is gone and the 30-year shuttle program is ending.

The National Research Council is evaluating just how many astronauts America really needs. A report by a committee of retired NASA leaders, ex-astronauts and others is expected next month.

Depending on the findings, NASA may start taking applications soon for a new, albeit small, astronaut class. No matter the size, there will be plenty of applicants, all eager to join this exclusive club.