NASA’s planetary protection officer position is the coolest job available

If you’re looking for a cool job that may involve defending the earth from threats outside the planet, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a job for you. The agency is looking for someone who has the skills necessary for planetary protection, GOOD Money reported.

NASA will entrust that individual to keep planets safe from threatening biological organisms accidentally carried by spacecraft and astronauts from space. The job post from USAJOBS further detailed that the planetary protection officer (PPO) will get a hefty salary of $124,406 to $187,000 annually. The PPO will lead the preparation and management of tasks associated with the protection of the planet and give some advice about decisions concerning hazards to the safety of planets, among other responsibilities.

According to the job post, the applicant must have an experience and proficiency in engineering to have a shot at the position. He or she must also be knowledgeable in planetary protection and capable of making good decisions and assessments in intricate circumstances. The job will also require the person to travel a lot, so prepare for a lot of moving.

Per The Independent, the new officer will join a team assigned for the voyage to one of Jupiter’s moons, Europa. This mission seeks to provide images of Europa’s surface and evaluate if humans can live on said moon.

Now is your chance to become a part of NASA as the space agency opens up slots for a planetary protection officer position. (Source)

Following the job post, NASA got a lot of responses. As The Washington Post reported, one interesting applicant is a nine-year-old boy from New Jersey named Jack Davis. He sent a handwritten letter to NASA expressing his interest in applying for the position.

In the letter, he said that despite his age, he thinks he has what it takes to be qualified to become a planetary protection officer. For the qualifications, he wrote that he is an alien, at least based on what his sister said. He also watched a show called “Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “almost all the space and alien movies I can.” He closes the letter with an intriguing statement saying that he’s young and he can learn to adapt an alien’s way of thinking and signs off with the title “Guardian of the Galaxy.”

A few days later, Planetary Science Division director James L. Green replied to Jack’s application letter, appreciating the boy’s interest in the job. Green also explained in the letter the real tasks that will come with the job. He ended the letter by encouraging Jack to keep learning and performing well in school in order for Jack to visit NASA soon. The agency also called Jack to commend him for showing his interest in safeguarding planets.

Green said that NASA enjoys sharing knowledge about space to kids and encourages them to have a role in discovering, studying and expanding what we know about our solar system and the universe.