NASA selects 10 new astronauts for Moon and Mars missions
What's the story
NASA has announced the induction of 10 new astronauts into its elite corps. The group was selected from a pool of over 8,000 applicants and comprises six women and four men. This is the first time in history that the number of women selected exceeds that of men. The new recruits will play a key role in NASA's ambitious plans to return to the Moon and undertake a historic crewed mission to Mars.
Astronaut profiles
Meet the new recruits
The 10 new recruits include Ben Bailey, a mechanical engineer and Army officer; Lauren Edgar, a geologist; Adam Fuhrmann and Cameron Jones, both aerospace engineers and Air Force majors. The group also includes Yuri Kubo (an engineer with experience at SpaceX); Rebecca Lawler (former Navy test pilot); Imelda Muller (former Navy medical officer); Erin Overcash (Navy test pilot); Katherine Spies (a design engineer and test pilot) and Anna Menon (a biomedical engineer).
Notable achievement
Menon's historic milestone
Menon, a biomedical engineer and former SpaceX employee from Houston, is the first person to join NASA's astronaut corps after having flown to orbit. While at SpaceX, she was chosen by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman for Polaris Dawn, an experimental mission that reached higher altitudes than any crewed spacecraft has in decades. The mission also included the first-ever private spacewalk. Interestingly Menon will join her husband, Anil Menon, in the astronaut corps. Anil—also a former SpaceX employee—was selected in 2021.
Training schedule
Training for the new recruits
The new recruits will undergo two years of rigorous training, which will include learning about NASA's history and future vision, geology classes, water survival training, and space health. They will also get a chance to train in high-performance jets. Once their training is complete, they will join the existing members of NASA's astronaut corps and become eligible for flight assignments.
Mission prospects
Future of space travel
While it's uncertain what other flight assignments these astronauts may be eligible for, they are likely to be considered for later Artemis missions to the Moon and possibly even Mars. NASA is preparing to wind down operations at the International Space Station by early 2030s and commission new space stations operated by the private sector.