Ask a kid what he would like to be when he grows up. Most of them will either answer a Jet Pilot or an Astronaut.
+NASA  has recently launched a campaign to hire new astronaut (there is also an hashtag for that #BeAnAstronaut

I also wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid. Today, at sixty years old you would not be able to put me in a rocket, a space station or anything where I’d have to fly ia a narrow space to reach a station above earth to live in restriction of sex, food, and not being able to take a shower, run a bike (yes, I know they got a place where they can do that but I’m talking about the real thing).
A couple of years ago I interviewed +Samantha Cristoforetti  before she took off to be the first Italian woman astronaut to be staying in the ISS for six months 

Interesting interview, wonderful human being. She explained how excited she was and all the mission details. Today when I saw the +NASA ‘s advertisement post about recruting astronauts made me think. Wasn’t there a waiting list once? How come are there are less people who want to become the next generation of “sardines”?

TRAVELLING TO MARS?  LEAVE YOUR CREDIT CARD BEHIND DUDE..

I also interviewed another would be astronaut here in Italy, his name is +Pietro Aliprandi  and what makes him so special is that he is the only dude left in Italy to be on the run to be shoot up to Mars in order to colonize the planet by a privately financed adventure called “Mars One”.

When I asked  him how long it would take to go from earth to mars he told me approx two months. The space shuttle that would take him there eventually if he were to be chosen, would be the size of a SUV.

I cannot imagine myself being in a SUV sized spaceship to Mars even if they paid me one billion dollars.No way Jose’,not me, not in this life.

Even if I were to be a “regular” a “normal” astronaut, why would I go into space for? Taking photos? We have seen thousands of space photos in the last decade, do we need a new perspective from another astronaut’s point of view?.
It’s too cozy here, with a warm stove, a nice shower I can access anytime I want to, the food, the pasta and all the goodies that Mother Earth has for us; not this time dude, not on this life. Have a nice trip. I might be watching you taking off from the beach, probably a nice view, and waving I will say “Hasta la vista baby”