More than 6,300 individuals applied to be a part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's next astronaut class, according to a report from the agency.

NASA said that's twice as many applicants as it typically receives and the second highest number of applications it has ever received.

“Historically, we’ve received between 2,500 and 3,500 applications for each class,” said Duane Ross, who leads NASA’s Astronaut Selection Office. “We were a bit surprised, but very pleased by the overwhelming response to our recent Astronaut Candidate vacancy announcement. To me, this demonstrates the fact that the public remains genuinely interested in continuing the exploration of space. As for my office, we will be busy for a while.”

Late last year, NASA sent out a call for a new astronaut class. Applications were accepted for two months, with the deadline set for Jan. 27.

NASA said the response to this latest recruitment announcement was “tremendous,” resulting in approximately 6,372 applications.

That's the largest number of applications since 1978, when NASA had more than 8,000 submissions from astronaut hopefuls.

“The Flight Crew Operations Directorate is very happy with the large number of applicants for the astronaut program,” said Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations. “NASA feels strongly that an appropriate mix of skills, education, and background provide the office with a greater ability to successfully work a wide array of operational situations.”

During the next couple of months, Astronaut Selection Office staff will sort through the applications to compare them to a list of basic qualifications.

Those applications that meet the basic qualifications will then be reviewed by a selection committee to identify “highly qualified” applicants. The panel will determine which remaining applicants will be invited for an interview and medical evaluations.

The interview process will be a two-step process, NASA reported.

Initial interviews will be conducted by the Astronaut Selection Board beginning in August and will continue through October. Then, starting in November and running through January 2013, NASA said final interviews will be held along with medical evaluations of each applicant.

The Astronaut Selection Board is expected to make its final decision in the spring of 2013 with the new Astronauts Candidates reporting for training that summer. The new candidates will undergo two years of training before being eligible for mission assignments.

These new candidates will live and work aboard the International Space Station, help build the Orion spacecraft for exploration beyond low earth orbit and continue NASA’s partnership with companies that will supply commercial transportation services to the ISS.

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