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Over 18,300 people sent in their application to join NASA's astronaut class of 2017, almost thrice the number of applications that were received in 2012 and far overreaching the past record of 8,000 applications back in 1978, as reported by Japan Times

 "It's not at all surprising to me that so many Americans from diverse backgrounds want to personally contribute to blazing the trail on our journey to Mars," said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, himself a former astronaut. "A few exceptionally talented men and women will become the astronauts chosen in this group who will once again launch to space from U.S. soil on American-made spacecraft."

NASA started accepting application from Dec 14^th and closed Thursday this week. With that, the 18-month long process, to select the final list of astronauts, begins. In the end, there will be 8-14 individuals who would be given the opportunity to become astronaut candidates. The selection of these select few will be announced in mid-2017, says CNN

The selection board of NASA will start reviewing the applications, while assessing every candidate and their qualifications. The names will be shortlisted from the applications and the most highly qualified candidates will be called to Houston's Johnson Space Center for interviews before they are finally selected. After their selection, the new astronauts will be asked to report to the Johnsons Space Center for training. Once they get the initial training, the candidates for astronaut will go through two-years of training on spacewalking skills, teamwork, Russian language, and spacecraft systems, reported NASA

"We have our work cut out for us with this many applications," said Brian Kelly, director of Flight Operations at Johnson. "But it's heartening to know so many people recognize what a great opportunity this is to be part of NASA's exciting mission. I look forward to meeting the men and women talented enough to rise to the top of what is always a pool of incredible applicants."