NASA’s Newest Astronauts: Meet the 2025 Class
▼ Summary
– NASA introduced its 2025 astronaut candidate class of 10 individuals, selected from over 8,000 applicants.
– The class is notable for including more women than men and features the first person to have orbited Earth before joining NASA.
– Following two years of training, these candidates will be eligible for missions to low-Earth orbit and the Moon.
– NASA’s future exploration plans, as stated by an administrator, include returning to the Moon to stay and then proceeding to Mars.
– The candidates were introduced at a ceremony at Johnson Space Center by NASA officials including the acting administrator and flight operations director.
NASA has unveiled its latest cohort of future space explorers, a dynamic group of ten individuals chosen from thousands of applicants to advance the nation’s goals in space. The 2025 astronaut candidate class, introduced at Johnson Space Center in Houston, will embark on two years of intensive training to prepare for missions ranging from the International Space Station to lunar expeditions under the Artemis program. This foundational period is critical for equipping them with the skills needed for the next era of human spaceflight.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy emphasized the significance of the selection during the ceremony. “We picked the best and the brightest, the most skilled individuals to take these ten spots,” Duffy stated. He outlined a bold vision for the future, declaring, “We are going back to the Moon, and this time we’re going to stay. The knowledge gained from our lunar missions will pave the way for journeys to Mars and beyond into the unknown.” Other senior officials, including Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche, also addressed the new candidates.
Selected from a highly competitive pool of more than 8,000 people, this group represents NASA’s 24th astronaut class. The extended recruitment process, which began in March 2024, sought out a diverse range of expertise. The ten candidates bring backgrounds as military officers, engineers, a physician, and a scientist. A notable characteristic of this class is that it includes six women and four men, making it the first in NASA’s history to have more female than male candidates.
The individuals stepping into this demanding role are Ben Bailey, Lauren Edgar, Adam Fuhrmann, Cameron Jones, Yuri Kubo, Rebecca Lawler, Anna Menon, Imelda Muller, Erin Overcash, and Katherine Spies. Following their basic training, which covers everything from spacewalking to robotics and spacecraft systems, they will become eligible for flight assignments. Their careers may ultimately contribute to humanity’s return to the lunar surface and the first crewed missions to the Red Planet.
(Source: Ars Technica)
