posted 03-05-2024 02:23 PM               

NASA graduates new astronaut class as it begins recruiting for more

... NASA announced it was again accepting applications for its next group of candidates for flights to the International Space Station, the moon and, eventually, missions to Mars.

"We believe that everyone has a special talent that they can bring to our astronaut corps. And that is why we are so excited to announce that we are taking applications again," said Shannon Walker, deputy chief of NASA's Astronaut Office.

NASA is now through April 2 recruiting for its 24th class of astronauts.

posted 03-27-2024 12:30 PM               

Our intent is to ensure the broadest possible reach, so that qualified potential candidates from all walks of life have sufficient time to submit their applications.

posted 09-22-2025 08:37 AM               

NASA names 24th astronaut class to train for future Artemis missions

NASA has named its new group of astronaut candidates.

The space agency on Monday (Sept. 22) introduced the four men and six women who comprise its 2025 trainee class during a ceremony held at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Following two years of basic training, the new candidates will be eligible for mission assignments in low Earth orbit and on the moon, as NASA's Artemis program works toward sending the first humans to Mars.

posted 09-22-2025 12:34 PM               

Interesting composition of astronauts this time, with diverse backgrounds. Anna Menon will be the second NASA astronaut selected who already has flown in space, albeit on a rocket and into orbit (the late Maj Gen Joe Engle flew above 50 miles but below the Karman Line in the X-15, qualifying for USAF astronaut wings per criteria at the time).

posted 09-23-2025 08:37 AM               

NASA has always hired a wide variety of people with different skills: science; medicine; engineering; academia; military; corporate. They want overachievers who have mastered not just their own fields but can adapt to new situations, concepts and training.

posted 09-23-2025 04:25 PM               

I don't care where they came from, as long as they are competent.

posted 09-23-2025 11:15 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by onesmallstep:
Look at LtCdr Lawler, the first NOAA Officer Corps member to be chosen...

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posted 09-27-2025 10:30 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by issman1:
I meant that over 50 percent of these new astronaut candidates should have been SpaceX employees.

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posted 09-30-2025 01:36 PM               

• Yuri Kubo is the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation's second scholar to become an astronaut after Christina Koch. Kubo received the scholarship for two years, 2009 and 2010, while at Purdue University.

• Kubo and Adam Fuhrmann are the 29th and 30th members of Purdue's "Cradle of Astronauts." Upon graduating basic training, they will be the 25th and 26th NASA astronauts to be alums of the Indiana school.

posted 03-19-2026 03:45 PM               

NASA's newest astronaut candidate class billed as the Platypi

NASA's newest astronaut candidates have just been labeled the oddest of them all.

The 10 women and men who were selected to train for spaceflight in September 2025, have now been given their official nickname. Following a long-standing custom, the previous group of astronauts chose the moniker for their successors.

NASA's 24th class of "ascans" are the Platypi.

posted 03-20-2026 05:42 AM               

Platipodes is the correct plural; platypuses or platypusses is also accepted. Platypi is an incorrect etymological usage of a Latin terminal on a Greek root.

posted 09-14-2026 09:24 PM               

Summer Training: Catching Up With NASA's Astronaut Candidates

Did you spend part of your summer camping, hiking, at the pool, or in an aircraft? So did NASA's 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class.

The 10 candidates have been working their way through a comprehensive and rigorous training program since the agency introduced them to the public on Sept. 22, 2025, from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. They are approximately halfway through the nearly two-year training program, which will equip them for missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars.

Above: The members of NASA's 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class pose with rock samples collected during their geology training at the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico, in May 2026. (NASA/Helen Arase Vargas)

Geology Studies

Since the astronaut candidates can one day be assigned to a future Artemis mission to the lunar surface, geology courses are an important part of their training. In May, candidates completed classroom trainings at Johnson before venturing to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico for additional classroom instruction and training in the field. Several candidates also joined NASA astronauts and Artemis mission support teams for geology field training in Iceland in July. They practiced geologic observations, sampling with tools, navigation, and teamwork, all skills and processes that translate directly to Artemis lunar missions.

Flight Training

Whether learning to become a pilot or sharpening their existing piloting skills, astronaut candidates train in aircraft to build confidence, coordination, adaptability, and resilience in high-stakes environments. This summer, that training included flights on NASA's WB-57s – a trio of long-range, high-altitude airplanes that have flown research missions since the 1960s. The class also began flying NASA's T-38 supersonic jets.

Altitude Chamber Runs

Candidates have also spent time in one of Johnson's altitude chambers as part of their flight training. These unique facilities allow NASA to simulate physical pressure levels ranging from those at sea level to near vacuum. After donning flight suits and helmets, candidates enter the chamber to familiarize themselves with the conditions they will face on high-altitude flights and in space, and to practice different protocols and interventions designed to keep them safe.

Water Survival Training

Candidates continued survival training to prepare for the unlikely event of landing in remote environments after a mission. Water survival exercises in Johnson's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, or NBL, simulate these scenarios while also building teamwork and decision-making skills.

On top of these exercises, candidates are completing intensive Russian language classes and cross-cultural training to prepare for missions spanning countries and continents. They are learning to operate spacecraft systems used in human spaceflight missions, conducting spacewalk training at the NBL, and training inside other mockups of space vehicles. They are also learning emergency procedures, maintenance, and repair of spacecraft.

The class is on track to graduate in 2027, when they will join NASA's active astronaut corps and await their first flight assignments. Whether they go on to contribute to research taking place aboard the International Space Station or venture to the Moon to prepare for future Mars missions, the graduates will have the operational expertise, scientific knowledge, and technical background necessary to advance NASA's deep space exploration goals and sustain a long-term human presence beyond low Earth orbit.