NASA responds to 9-year-old 'Guardian of the Galaxy' who wants to protect the planet

Move over, Baby Groot: The Guardians of the Galaxy have a new adorable recruit — and he’s NASA-approved.

NASA recently announced that it has a job opening for a “Planetary Protection Officer,” someone who can protect Earth from “organic-constituent and biological contamination in human and robotic space exploration.” (Basically, aliens.) The job posting drew the attention of Jack Davis, a fourth grader from New Jersey, and he sent NASA his application for the gig, signing his letter, “Jack Davis, Guardian of the Galaxy, fourth grade.”

“I may be nine but I think I would be fit for the job,” Davis wrote. “One of the reasons is my sister says I am an alien. Also, I have seen almost all the space and alien movies I can see. I have also seen the show Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and hope to see the movie Men in Black. I am great at video games. I am young, so I can learn to think like an alien.”

Davis’ letter attracted the attention of NASA’s planetary science director Jim Green, who sent him a letter thanking him for his interest and encouraging him to keep vigilant. (Davis also received a phone call from NASA’s planetary research director, too.)

“We are always looking for bright future scientists and engineers to help us, so I hope you will study hard and do well in school,” Green wrote. “We hope to see you here at NASA one of these days!”

Read Davis’ full letter — and NASA’s response — on the NASA website. And hey Jack, if the NASA thing doesn’t work out, EW’s always looking for someone who’s well-versed in space and alien movies.