Space Psychologist
Careers
While space agencies have a small army of doctors assessing every minute facet of astronauts' physical health and fitness at every stage of a space mission, they also employ specialist "space psychologists" to monitor mental well-being. The monotony, cramped conditions and isolation of a spaceflight present a unique psychological challenge to astronauts who often spend months at a time in confinement with the same group of people.
The job of a space psychologist is to advise selection panels which astronauts are most suited to a particular team or mission, support crews before, during and after their flight, and develop "countermeasures" to help them stay sane during their long mission.
Space tour guide
One for the future, perhaps, but a government-backed report in 2010 identified space tour guides as one example of the new jobs which will be created by breakthroughs in space travel.
With a host of private companies competing to be the first to escort tourists into space, and hundreds of deep-pocketed enthusiasts already on waiting lists, it may not be long before the services of specialist tour guides are needed.
The job is likely to require a degree of space knowledge, but may be a realistic option for those who dream of working in space but lack the technical expertise to be an astronaut.
Astronaut
From Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, astronauts (and cosmonauts) have captivated the imagination of schoolchildren and adults alike since the birth of human space flight in the 1960s.
Fifty years later, space travel may seem less mysterious but astronauts can still achieve superstar status. Chris Hadfield, the guitar-strumming Canadian astronaut, became an internet sensation by tweeting photographs and videos from space earlier this year and Britain's first official astronaut, Major Tim Peake became the envy of space enthusiasts across the country when he was selected for a mission to the International Space Station in May.
Chief sniffer
Perhaps the most famous 'weird job' in space is that of George Aldrich, NASA's "chief sniffer" who smells materials and components before they are used in missions.
The job is crucial because smells intensify in the heat and confined space of a space capsule, and once a mission has launched astronauts "have no way of escaping" unpleasant odors, he explains. More crucially, smelling objects can identify dangerous chemicals which could have toxic effects and pose a serious health threat.
Aldrich, a chemical specialist, began work at Nasa's White Sands Test Facility in 1974 and has conducted more than 850 smell missions for Nasa, including Space Shuttle, Skylab and International Space Station missions.
Spacesuit Design Engineer
Working with SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft team, the successful candidate will be in charge of ensuring that astronauts' space suits are engineered in such a way to overcome any technical challenges and be compatible with other equipment such as seats, control panels and life support systems.
The engineer will be able to express their creativity through "detailed space suit design", and even test the suits while they are in production to assess how their designs are working.
Candidates will need extensive knowledge of space suit designs and technologies, and an "innovative and creative but also achievable design philosophy", the company says.
