Given the large number of people wanting the job and the low number of positions, pruning it in even a tiny-merit way seems like a nice strategy to employ. It's

Given the large number of people wanting the job and the low number of positions, pruning it in even a tiny-merit way seems like a nice strategy to employ. It's not like you're cutting anyone who could be predicted to be a gamechanger; there's only so much utility you can get out of an astronaut, I think.