Record number of astronaut wannabes apply to NASA — 18,300

NASA announced Friday it received a record number of applicants — some 18,300 — for its next astronaut class.

Candidates need to be U.S. citizens with a bachelor's degree in science, math or engineering.

Like the eight-member Class of 2013, the future astronauts will train to fly to the International Space Station on capsules under development by SpaceX and Boeing, as well as on NASA's Orion spacecraft intended for deep-space exploration.