Since its inception in 2002, SpaceX has always had one major goal in mind: to reduce space transportation costs and enable the colonization of Mars. In order to do so, the aerospace company needs an array of talent on its team, from engineers to analysts – and now farmers.
SpaceX – founded by PayPal entrepreneur and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk – builds rockets and spacecraft systems from the ground up, including cutting edge electronics, software, vehicle structures, and engine systems. So far, the company has accomplished impressive feats in its 15-year-run, including putting the first privately funded rocket into orbit in 2008, as well as launching the first private spacecraft to meet the International Space Station in 2012. The team consists of more than 3,000 “SpaceXers,” all of which are scattered across the organization’s California headquarters and facilities in Florida, Texas, and Washington, DC.
Now, the company is looking to add a space-gazing farmer to its Texas-based SpaceXers crew. Responsibilities for the position include “Experience in repair and preventative maintenance of John Deere agricultural equipment” and “Minimum of 10 years of row crop farming experience in the central Texas area which shall include a working knowledge of every process required for crop production in the region.” In other words: The farmer won’t be plowing any extraterrestrial soil; he or she will instead spend more time working on the dirt and fields in McGregor, Texas where the SpaceX launch site is based.
And speaking of the SpaceX launch site, the job offering is more than likely to be directly linked to amount of land owned by the company. Currently, the launch facility in McGregor has substantial amounts of open land, so why not monetize the extra space by growing some crops? Besides, according to Popular Science, SpaceX’s Falcon rockets burn the hydrocarbon mixture kerosene, generating mostly water and carbon dioxide – neither of which does farming any damage.
Whoever is offered the position will be asked to agree to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), an act implemented in 1976 that controls how information on defense technology is shared and distributed. This suggests that SpaceX’s farmer will work at or nearby buildings closely associated with controlled explosives.
“We seek future colleagues with a rare mix of drive, passion, scrappiness, intelligence, and curiosity to seek what’s beyond the stars,” reads the online job advert. “Playing a direct role in advancing the course of human history is no small endeavor. Join us, and find your place in the SpaceX legacy.”
The only downside: SpaceX says that the job will take “a minimum” of 50 hours per week. Ouch.
