NASA is more than astronauts. We are scientists, engineers, IT specialists, human resources specialists, accountants, writers, technicians and many, many other kinds of people. At the NASAJobs Web site, you can learn more about NASA employment opportunities and programs.

At NASAJobs students can find opportunities for internships, cooperative programs and summer employment.

For all the diversity of NASA's workforce, the question, "How can I become an astronaut?" is very common. The answer depends on where you are now and where you want to go.

If you haven't finished high school yet, legendary astronaut Dr. Sally K. Ride offered these suggestions:

"The most important steps that I followed were studying math and science in school. I was always interested in physics and astronomy and chemistry, and I continued to study those subjects through high school and college on into graduate school. That's what prepared me for being an astronaut; it actually gave me the qualifications to be selected to be an astronaut. I think the advice that I would give to any kids who want to be astronauts is to make sure that they realize that NASA is looking for people with a whole variety of backgrounds: they are looking for medical doctors, microbiologists, geologists, physicists, electrical engineers. So find something that you really like and then pursue it as far as you can and NASA is apt to be interested in that profession."

If you've graduated from college or are in the military, and you're ready to apply, here's how.