After two years of rigorous training, ten Americans officially became astronauts on Tuesday, thus becoming eligible for space missions from NASA, which announced it would immediately open applications for its next upgrade.
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Two Emirati nationals who trained alongside them also officially graduated on Tuesday in a ceremony held in Houston.
Members of the new promotion, called “Flies”, will now be able to be entrusted with trips to the International Space Station (ISS), but also to the Moon, as part of Artemis missions. And why not even one day towards Mars.
“You're here because you're special,” NASA associate administrator Jim Frey told them on stage. “You are now mission ready. Your missions will change our understanding of Earth and space.
The ten lucky winners are engineers, scientists, pilots and even doctors, and come from the military and civilian world. They were selected in 2021 from more than 12,000 candidates.
They have since undergone extensive training: spacewalk simulations in suits in a huge swimming pool, flying supersonic planes, cold survival courses, Russian language lessons and learning how the International Space Station or the Orion lunar capsule works. ..
New astronaut Chris Birch shared some memories from this period over the microphone, such as the time when the group, after a week of survival training in a remote area of Alabama, found themselves without food and shared their “last bag of M&Ms” — peanut treats.
She thanked the teachers who patiently answered “our never-ending list of ‘what if…’ questions?” On our space suits.
“We are ready,” she insisted.
Meanwhile, NASA announced on Tuesday that it has opened applications for the upcoming upgrade. Criteria: To be American, hold a master’s degree in a scientific, technological, or engineering specialty, and have at least three years of professional experience. Or to be a doctor or a pilot.
The application period will close on April 2.
