Calling protection officers for interplanetary crafts
Ever fancied being a defender of the Earth? No, we’re not referring to the amazingly brilliant 1980s cartoon featuring the likes of Flash Gordon, the Phantom, Mandrake the Magician and Lothar.
Space agency NASA is recruiting for a planetary protection officer, who will be charged with defending the Earth from alien life, the BBC reports.
More specifically, the successful candidate’s prime concern will be avoiding "biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration", which applies both ways – to spacecraft returning to Earth and to the risk of human contamination of other planets.
The role, which commands a salary of between $124.4k (£94k) and $187k, has been open to US citizens since July and has a closing date of mid-August.
• Want to comment on this story? Email us at [email protected] or tweet us below to tell us your thoughts. We will run comments online in a round-up at the end of the week.
