posted 06-07-2017 02:45 PM               

NASA recruits 12 new astronauts for Earth orbit, deep space missions

NASA introduced 12 new astronauts on Wednesday (June 7), who will train for missions into Earth orbit and to deep space.

The seven men and five women comprise the 22nd class of American spaceflight trainees since 1959. The group is the largest NASA has selected in almost two decades.

posted 06-07-2017 06:00 PM               

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Originally posted by Mike_The_First:
Is there any particular reason that their flight suits are outfitted with Flight Operations patches?

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posted 06-07-2017 08:24 PM               

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
The Astronaut Office is part of the Flight Operations Directorate...

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posted 06-07-2017 09:32 PM               

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Originally posted by OV-105:
NASA didn't waste anytime getting the new class photo up.

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posted 06-08-2017 08:35 PM               

'Not stopped smiling since': New NASA astronauts on being selected

To say NASA's new astronauts are happy to have been selected would be an understatement.

"I do not think I ever smiled that big in my life," said Zena Cardman, one of the 12 new astronaut candidates, or "ascans," announced on Wednesday (June 7).

"I had my hand over my heart, because it was just absolute, utter overwhelming emotion," said Cardman, a geobiologist, describing the phone call she received on May 25 inviting her to come work for NASA. "I have not stopped smiling since."

posted 06-09-2017 07:43 AM               

Welcome to the family, Jasmin, bringing Marines to 4 in astronaut corps! Glad we could all be together before Randy Bresnik heads to ISS.

posted 06-12-2017 09:17 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by OV-105:
NASA didn't waste anytime getting the new class photo up.

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posted 06-21-2017 04:07 PM               

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Originally posted by eurospace:
At what date exactly in August will they report to Houston?

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The lucky 12 will start training August 21 for two years, after which they'll be eligible for flight assignments.

posted 06-24-2017 01:17 AM               

Sarah Kessans, 33, a University of Canterbury (New Zealand) researcher, was one of the 120.

Christine Corbett Moran was one of the 50. She's an astronomy and astrophysics postdoctoral fellow at Caltech.

posted 07-08-2017 11:01 AM               

One of the things I think that was a bigger focus in this selection was skills that are appropriate for longer-term spaceflight, so stays on the ISS that are six months or longer, or possible deeper space exploration missions.

posted 08-16-2017 12:04 PM               

The 31-year-old, who joined the MIT faculty in 2014, had become deeply—and happily—enmeshed in his academic career. He and his students had just flown a lightweight, long-duration drone built with the help of a powerful software tool for optimizing airplane design, called GPkit, that he had created. The U.S. Air Force, which has funded the work, hopes to use the drone to maintain communications during disaster relief, but Hoburg was already thinking of many other uses. His research team had "so much momentum" that it was "hard for me to just end it," he says.

...Hoburg's initial plan was to maintain a formal link with his many projects by going on temporary leave from MIT. Although Hoburg and the other astronaut candidates hope their 2 years of training at NASA's Johnson Space Center will be followed by a chance to go into space, he wanted to hedge his bets. "It's a little unclear what will happen after the training ends," he explains.

So Hoburg requested a 2-year leave of absence," he says, which would have covered the initial length of training at NASA's Johnson Space Center. But MIT said no. "I was basically advised to resign," Hoburg says. "I'm not complaining. [Becoming an astronaut] is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I couldn't pass up. And it was pretty wild to be told, as a junior faculty member, that this other amazing dream of mine had come true."

posted 09-17-2017 12:41 PM            

And it's official — the Turtles!! (On fenceposts, in a Harvey flood).

posted 09-18-2017 05:00 AM               

'Turtles' on a really high post: NASA's new astronauts get their nickname

What do you call a group of new astronaut trainees who are a tad green around the collar, a bit shell-shocked at being selected and who together faced having their new home submerged underwater just as they arrived at NASA?

"The Turtles," of course.

posted 08-27-2018 01:00 PM               

NASA astronaut candidate resigns prior to qualifying for spaceflight

A member of NASA's latest class of astronaut candidates has resigned from the space agency before completing his basic training.

Robb Kulin, 35, is leaving the program just over a year after he was chosen to join NASA's 22nd group of spaceflight trainees. His departure reduces the 2017 class, nicknamed "The Turtles," to 11 members.

Kulin's resignation, effective on Friday (Aug. 31), is "for personal reasons," NASA public affairs officer Brandi Dean told reporters on Monday. No further details were released.

posted 12-02-2019 05:22 PM               

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Originally posted by astro-nut:
I believe they will become active astronauts later this month or in September.

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posted 12-18-2019 01:13 PM               

NASA's Astronaut Candidates to Graduate with Eye on Artemis Missions

NASA will honor the first class of astronaut candidates to graduate under the Artemis program at 10:30 a.m. EST Friday, Jan. 10, at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. After completing more than two years of basic training, these candidates will become eligible for spaceflight, including assignments to the International Space Station, Artemis missions to the Moon, and ultimately, missions to Mars.

The ceremony will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

The class includes 11 NASA candidates, as well as two Canadian Space Agency (CSA) candidates, selected in 2017. The NASA candidates were chosen from a record-setting pool of more than 18,000 applicants. The CSA candidates have been training alongside their NASA classmates.

All astronaut candidates have completed training in spacewalking, robotics, International Space Station systems, T-38 jet proficiency, and Russian language. At the ceremony, each candidate will receive an astronaut pin, marking their graduation from basic training and their eligibility to be selected to fly in space.

posted 01-10-2020 07:17 AM               

It’s graduation season for our new astronauts!

Tune in Friday, Jan. 10 starting at 10:30 a.m. EST (1530 GMT) to see a new class of astronauts graduate basic training to join the active astronaut corps and begin their careers in space exploration. After two years of training, they will become eligible for missions that may take them to the International Space Station, the Moon under our #Artemis program, or someday, Mars.

posted 01-10-2020 11:15 AM               

NASA graduates new class of astronauts to join Artemis-era missions

NASA's newest astronauts are ready to come out of their shells and walk on the moon.

Nicknamed the "Turtles," the space agency's 22nd class of astronauts graduated from basic training and became eligible for spaceflight assignments on Friday (Jan. 10). A ceremony held at the Johnson Space Center in Houston honored the 11 Americans, together with two Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronauts who trained with them.

posted 01-12-2020 03:03 PM               

"That's part of what’s so great about America, right? You have all these people, from different backgrounds, and we share some of the same values as Americans generally, but then there is so much tradition and culture behind each one of our different backgrounds," she said.