Is being an astronaut just another government job?

Along with "quantitative bank examiner" and "supervisory printing services specialist," job seekers on the government's USAJobs.gov website will soon have another position to apply for: astronaut.

On Tuesday NASA will launch the application process for the next class of American space travelers. The job applications will be handled through USAJobs.gov, which features federal job postings.

This next generation of astronauts will join the recently graduated class of 2009 as some of the first astronauts to fly into space in something other than the space shuttle, which made its last flight in July.

New spacecraft are being developed to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station, as well as other planets -- Mars is first in line -- and asteroids.