NASA announced its 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class on Dec. 6. The 10 candidates, pictured here at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are: U.S. Air Force Maj. Nichole Ayers, Christopher Williams, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. (retired.) Luke Delaney, U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jessica Wittner, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Anil Menon, U.S. Air Force Maj. Marcos Berríos, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jack Hathaway, Christina Birch, U.S. Navy Lt. Deniz Burnham, and Andre Douglas. Credit: NASA
Key Takeaways:
NASA has announced its 2021 class of 10 new astronaut candidates, selected from over 12,000 applicants, who will train for future Artemis missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.
Starting in January 2022, the "Artemis generation" astronauts will begin two years of intensive training covering International Space Station operations, spacewalks, robotics, T-38 jet operations, and Russian language skills.
This class is the first to require applicants to hold at least a master's degree in a STEM field, reflecting NASA's commitment to diverse and highly qualified individuals.
The new astronaut class is noted for its diversity, representing various career paths and backgrounds, and will have opportunities for both commercial spacecraft and deep space missions.
Out of a field of more than 12,000 applicants, NASA administrator Bill Nelson introduced the first new class in four years at Ellington Field near Houston, Texas.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Jeremy attained his bachelor's in journalism and emerging media from Kennesaw State University. He also served in the Georgia Air National Guard as a C-130 Crew Chief for six years, holding an associate in aircraft maintenance technology.
