It sounds straight out of a "Men in Black” movie, but NASA is looking to hire a planetary protection officer to defend Earth from alien contamination and help Earthlings avoid contaminating the alien worlds they’re trying to explore.
Business Insider reports it’s one of only two such full-time roles on the planet, the other being at the European Space Agency.
The job has been around since the United States agreed to the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, and it's been held by Catharine Conley since 2014.
Actor Will Smith gave us very high expectations for defending Earth, but Conley told Business Reporter that "a typical week mostly involved a lot of emails and reading studies, proposals and other materials.”
The pay is good though, starting at about $124,000 per year plus benefits. Applications are due Aug. 14 at USAJobs.gov, but candidates will need an advanced degree in physical science, engineering or mathematics, plus "demonstrated experience planning, executing or overseeing elements of space programs of national significance.”
Read the official job description here.
