Armed Forces pilots, doctors, engineers, physicists, mathematicians: the 10 new astronaut candidates (4 women and 6 men) have been selected by NASA from more than 12,000 candidates to enrich their curricula and come from every corner of America. files of the so-called 'Artemis generation', that of future astronauts who will be able to aspire not only to missions on the International Space Station, but also on the Moon and in perspective on Mars. Their names were announced in the presence of space agency number one, Bill Nelson, at a live streamed event from Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
"Today we welcome ten new explorers, ten members of the Artemis generation, the astronaut candidate class of 2021," said Nelson, noting the presence of an immigrant son among them. The head of the space agency recalled that "NASA astronauts embody the American character" in the full spirit of the space agency, which aims "to unite people to explore, discover and dream".
The new NASA recruits are: Nichole Ayers (32), originally from Colorado, is a major in the Air Force and an experienced fighter pilot; Marcos Berrios (37), who grew up in Puerto Rico, is an aviation major and test pilot; Christina Birch (35), who grew up in Arizona, is a mathematician specializing in biochemistry and bioengineering; Deniz Burnham (36), an Alaskan Navy Lieutenant, is an engineer with experience in the energy sector; Luke Delaney (42), retired Marine Major, comes from Florida and has also worked as a pilot in support of science missions; Andrea Douglas (35), a mechanical engineer from Virginia, has already collaborated on NASA missions through Johns Hopkins University; Jack Hathaway (39), commander of the navy from Connecticut,he is an expert aviator; Anil Menon (45), an Air Force lieutenant colonel from Minnesota, is a doctor who has already collaborated with NASA and SpaceX; Christopher Williams (38), who grew up in Maryland, is a medical physicist; finally Jessica Wittner (38), lieutenant commander of the navy, specializes in aerospace engineering.
In January, the ten new NASA candidate astronauts will begin training in Houston, where within two years they will learn all the notions and technical skills necessary for future missions: for example, they will learn the maintenance activities of the Space Station, they will train for extravehicular activities, they will delve into robotics and learn Russian.
