NASA welcomes the latest class of astronauts after 2 years of intense training in Houston

The Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, welcomed 12 new astronauts after the candidates completed a two-year training program through NASA. There are reportedly 10 Americans and two individuals from the United Arab Emirates who make up the latest class of astronauts.

Space.com reported that these astronauts will be assigned to missions on the International Space Station and future commercial space stations. They will also be focused on missions to the moon in preparation for an eventual journey to Mars.

NASA announced the news on its website earlier this month:

The most recent astronaut candidates wave to the crowd in this image from their March 5, 2024, graduation ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Nicknamed “The Flies,” this cohort is now eligible for spaceflight assignments to the International Space Station, future orbiting destinations, the Moon, and beyond.

Selected for training in 2021, the astronaut graduates were chosen from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants and successfully completed more than two years of required basic training, including spacewalking, robotics, space station systems, and more.

Fox News Digital reported that Luke Delaney — a retired United States Marine Corps major from Florida — said graduating from the program was a dream come true. For some, the dream of becoming an astronaut takes decades to come to fruition.

Delaney discussed the first time he put on the spacesuit, saying, "The first time you put that on, and you’re getting in the water, it’s impressive. You just feel like you’ve made it in some ways," he shared.

The process of becoming an astronaut is intense. Reports mentioned that all the members of the current class are doctors, scientists, engineers, and researchers, and they were chosen from a pool of 12,000 applicants. After making the initial cut, they were sent to Houston to begin physical and mental training for their first spaceflight.

Jack Hathaway — another member of the newest astronaut class — said there is "just so much to be excited about."

"There's a lot of hard work that the whole team is going to have to do. The whole thing is just such a cool time to be part of the [astronaut] office. You're coming into the office with all the commercial partners doing lunar landings and lunar missions, and the opportunity to have multiple commercial partners building lunar landers and human landing systems. I'm just really excited about this."

There is a lot of buzz around the possibility of astronauts making another trip to the moon. Medical physicist Christopher Williams said the team is prepared to get back to the moon and to use their specialized skills to get there.

"It just gives me goosebumps that some of the folks that I walked across the stage with today, I think, are going to be on the moon," he told Space.com.

"We're not only growing, but adding to our portfolio, getting beyond low Earth orbit. I think it connects with a lot of people in terms of exploration and getting out there."

There is no timetable for when the astronauts could make a return to the moon.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!