What isn't exciting is the requirement of a bachelors degree for consideration in the program. Over the last 10 years the world has moved away from secondary and post secondary degrees as an indicator of skill, intelligence & viability and with good reason.

The price of a University education has sky rocketed, while the benefits for many fields has plummeted. Take me for example. I studied art, english and film at university. I have spent the last 18 years working in the tech sector as a designer and developer.

While my art training help immensely in the design world, I have no formal training as a developer. This fact hasn't stopped me from becoming a well known and respected member of the dev community, founding open source projects around programming, speaking around the world on the subject as a recognized expert, and writing books.

As NASA sees it, my knowledge, experience and talents in this field aren't as important as having an incredibly over priced piece of paper that says I paid just enough attention to pass classes for 4 years.

As a child I dreamed of being an astronaut, like so many others. To strike out in the unknown in search of adventure & knowledge that would benefit all of the world. Although I am not physically fit enough to pass the rigors of the selection process, I would argue to my last breath that I am as qualified, if not more so, than many of the individuals would will step up for the challenge.

Do the right thing NASA, let smart people from all walks of life apply to the program. Let their hard work, dedication and will to overcome sift the wheat from the chaff.