NASA Posts Job To Protect Planet On Six-Figure Salary

HOUSTON, TX — Houston, and earthlings, we have a world-saving job for you. NASA is hiring a planetary savior to protect Mother Earth and help lead exploration into our celestial neighbors. You don't have to be Superman, but frequent travel is required. Rocket propulsion not needed.

Before dismissing as "fake news," this is a real job. The official title is Planetary Protection Officer based at the NASA Headquarters, United States. It only has one vacancy and the deadline to apply is August 14, so soup up your resumes, channel your inner Buzz Aldrin and shoot for the stars on this one.

The pay range for this is $124,406 to $187,000. It's an appointed three-year position with possible two-year extension. But the experience is out of this world.

Though the job isn't listed with Patch's job partner ziprecruiter.com, here are 17 other jobs listed with NASA for any ET and space fans out there who either know about the world beyond our stratosphere or think they could live the rest of their lives trying to find out.

The Planetary Protection Officer (PPO) is responsible for the leadership of NASA's planetary protection capability, maintenance of planetary protection policies, and oversight of their implementation by NASAs space flight missions. The PPO also supports the Safety and Mission Assurance (SMA) Technical Authority and serves as a principal advisory resource for the Chief, SMA and other senior officials on matters pertaining to planetary protection. The PPO is the Agency's focal point for interactions with external organizations on matters related to planetary protection. Primarily the Planetary Protection Officer performs the following:

• Leads planning and coordination of activities related to NASA mission planetary protection needs.
• Leads independent evaluation of, and provides advice regarding, compliance by robotic and human spaceflight missions with NASA planetary protection policies, statutory requirements and international obligations.
• Advises the Chief, SMA and other officials regarding the merit and implications of programmatic decisions involving risks to planetary protection objectives.In coordination with relevant offices, leads interactions with COSPAR, National Academies, and advisory committees on planetary protection matters.
• Recommends and leads the preparation of new or revised NASA standards and directives in accordance with established processes and guidelines.

For more on this particular position, follow this link to the direct site to see if you meet the minimum qualifications.

IN SPACE - JANUARY 28: This handout image supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA), shows a view looking to the East along the English Channel with the UK on the left and France on the right, showing the densely populated areas of London and Paris, in an image taken by ESA astronaut Tim Peake on the International Space Station, January 28, 2016. ESA astronaut Tim Peake is performing more than 30 scientific experiments and taking part in numerous others from ESA's international partners during his six-month mission, named Principia, after Isaac Newtons ground-breaking Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which describes the principal laws of motion and gravity.

Photo by Tim Peake - ESA/NASA via Getty Images