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NASA’s 24th astronaut class includes a geologist who worked on the Curiosity Mars rover mission, a SpaceX engineer who participated in a private spaceflight and witnessed the first civilian spacewalk, and a former SpaceX launch manager.
NASA announced the selection of its 24th astronaut class, consisting of ten scientists, engineers, and test pilots chosen from over 8,000 applicants, to support future lunar and Mars exploration programs, reported Al Qabas newspaper.
For the first time in the agency’s history, women outnumber men in the new astronaut corps.
The class includes a geologist who worked on the Curiosity Mars rover mission, a SpaceX engineer who participated in a private spaceflight and witnessed the first civilian spacewalk, and a former SpaceX launch manager.
Members will undergo two years of intensive training before qualifying for space missions. NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy noted that one of the astronauts could become the first human to set foot on Mars.
This marks NASA’s 24th astronaut class since the Mercury Seven in 1959, following the previous class announced in 2021. The new astronauts were introduced at a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, joining 41 active American astronauts currently working on NASA programs.
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