NASA still has far more astronauts than they need.  They had about 140 at peak. NASA still has just under 50, despite lacking a launch system.  All they do now is rotate people through the ISS, launching from Russia.  Since the Shuttle was retired, there&#x27;s not much work in space.<p>The remaining astronauts get stuck with jobs such as &quot;Lunch with an Astronaut&quot;.[1] It looks like none of the astronauts from the class of 2013 have been in space yet.  Being an ex-astronaut is worse.  A few years ago, NASA pulled ex-astronaut passes to NASA Houston, so they can&#x27;t hang around there after quitting.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.kennedyspacecenter.com&#x2F;things-to-do&#x2F;lunch-with-an-astronaut.aspx" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.kennedyspacecenter.com&#x2F;things-to-do&#x2F;lunch-with-a...</a>