NASA has announced its latest class of 10 astronaut candidates. Following two years of rigorous training, they could soon fly to the International Space Station or even step onto the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program.
This marks NASA's 23rd astronaut candidate class since 1959, when seven military pilots were chosen for Project Mercury, America's first human spaceflight program. Selected from over 12,000 applications, these candidates arrive as NASA gears up for its most ambitious challenges since Apollo.
“Today we welcome ten new explorers, ten members of the Artemis generation,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Alone, each has what it takes, but together they embody our nation's creed: e pluribus unum—'out of many, one.'”
The candidates are Nichole Ayers, Marcos Berriós, Christina Birch, Deniz Burnham, Luke Delaney, Andre Douglas, Jack Hathaway, Anil Menon, Christopher Williams, and Jessica Wittner.
Each met stringent qualifications, including a master's degree in a STEM field, completion of a test pilot school program, or two years of progress toward a PhD related to astronaut duties.
Many candidates bring military experience, while others offer unique backgrounds. Dr. Anil Menon worked at SpaceX, managing medical operations for Crew Dragon astronauts bound for the space station. Dr. Christina Birch, a bioengineer, competed as a track cyclist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Dr. Christopher Williams, a medical physicist, advanced cancer treatments at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
They will undergo two years of intensive training at NASA's Johnson Space Center, mastering spacewalks, commercial spacecraft operations, and hundreds of other critical skills.
Upon completion, they may be assigned to International Space Station missions or Artemis program flights, targeting the first crewed lunar landing in 2025.
