The Demographics Of Newly Recruited NASA Astronauts, Visualized

Maybe when you were a kid, you dreamed of being an astronaut one day. You probably think that today, you're too old to make that dream come true. But a new chart by Redditor u/takeasecond shows that NASA astronauts are recruited at more advanced ages than you might think. In fact, more astronauts are recruited between the ages of 32 and 36 than any other age range.

Other takeaways from this fascinating chart: More astronauts than we'd have guessed come from civilian backgrounds, although the Navy and the Air Force seem to send quite a few qualified candidates NASA's way. There have been significantly fewer female astronauts than male astronauts — not surprising when you consider that NASA only began accepting female astronauts in 1978. And quite a few NASA astronauts never actually go into space, which must be a special kind of disappointment.

You can read more about the lives and careers of NASA astronauts past and present on NASA's website.  

[Via Reddit]