Outer space has been pretty cool lately: We've discovered gravitational waves, found conditions conducive to life on Mars, and successfully sent New Horizons on a nine-year journey to photograph Pluto. Pluto!
So it is perhaps no surprise that this year NASA received a record number of applicants for their 2017 astronaut class. However, NASA didn't just beat the old record — they obliterated it. Over 18,300 people applied for the gig; the previous record was 8,000 way back in 1978, Florida Today's space reporter James Dean said.
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