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10 Questions About the 2017 Astronaut Class

We will select between eight and 14 new astronaut candidates from among a record-breaking applicant class of more than 18,300, almost three times the number of applications the agency received in 2012 for the recent astronaut class, and far surpassing the previous record of 8,000 in 1978.

The candidates will be announced at an event at our Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas at 2 p.m. EDT on June 7. You can find more information on how to watch the announcement HERE.

1. What are the qualifications for becoming an astronaut?

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements before submitting an application.

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics. 

Degree must be followed by at least 3 years of related, progressively responsible, professional experience or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft

Ability to pass the NASA Astronaut physical.

For more information, visit: https://astronauts.nasa.gov/content/faq.htm

2. What have selections looked like in the past?

There have been 22 classes of astronauts selected from the original “Mercury Seven” in 1959 to the most recent 2017 class. Other notable classes include:

The fourth class in 1965 known as “The Scientists: because academic experience was favored over pilot skills. 

The eighth class in 1978 was a huge step forward for diversity, featuring the first female, African American and Asian American selections.

The 16th class in 1996 was the largest class yet with 44 members – 35 U.S. astronauts and 9 international astronauts. They were selected for the frequent Space Shuttle flights and the anticipated need for International Space Station crewmembers.

The 21st class in 2013 was the first class to have 50/50 gender split with 4 female members and 4 male members.

3. What vehicles will they fly in?

They could be assigned on any of four different spacecraft: the International Space Station, our Orion spacecraft for deep space exploration or one of two American-made commercial crew spacecraft currently in development – Boeing’s CST-199 Starliner or the SpaceX Crew Dragon.

4. Where will they go?

These astronauts will be part of expanded crews aboard the space station that will significantly increase the crew time available to conduct the important research and technology demonstrations that are advancing our knowledge for missions farther into space than humans have gone before, while also returning benefits to Earth. They will also be candidates for missions beyond the moon and into deep space aboard our Orion spacecraft on flights that help pave the way for missions to Mars.

5. What will their roles be?

After completing two years of general training, these astronaut candidates will be considered full astronauts, eligible to be assigned spaceflight missions. While they wait for their turn, they will be given duties within the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center. Technical duties can range from supporting current missions in roles such as CAPCOM in Mission Control, to advising on the development of future spacecraft.

6. What will their training look like?

The first two years of astronaut candidate training will focus on the basic skills astronauts need. They’ll practice for spacewalks in Johnson’s 60-foot deep swimming pool, the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, which requires SCUBA certification. They’ll also simulate bringing visiting spacecraft in for a berthing to the space station using its robotic arm, Canadarm2, master the ins and outs of space station system and learn Russian. 

And, whether they have previous experience piloting an aircraft of not, they’ll learn to fly our fleet of T-38s. In addition, they’ll perfect their expeditionary skills, such as leadership and fellowship, through activities like survival training and geology treks.

7.  What kinds of partners will they work with?

They will join a team that supports missions going on at many different NASA centers across the country, but they’ll also interact with commercial partners developing spaceflight hardware. In addition, they will work with our international partners around the globe: ESA (the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos.

8. How does the selection process work?

All 18,353 of the applications submitted were reviewed by human resources experts to determine if they met the basic qualifications. Those that did were then each reviewed by a panel of about 50 people, made up primarily of current astronauts. Called the Astronaut Rating Panel, that group narrowed to applicants down to a few hundred of what they considered the most highly qualified individuals, whose references were then checked.

From that point, a smaller group called the Astronaut Selection Board brought in the top 120 applicants for an intense round of interviews and some initial medical screening tests. That group is further culled to the top 50 applicants afterward, who are brought back for a second round of interviews and additional screening. The final candidates are selected from that group.

9. How do they get notified?

Each applicant selected to become an astronaut receives a phone call from the head of the Flight Operations Directorate at our Johnson Space Center and the chief of the astronaut office. They’re asked to share the good news with only their immediate family until their selection has been officially announced.

10. How does the on boarding process work?

Astronaut candidates will report for duty at Johnson Space Center in August 2017, newly fitted flight suits in tow, and be sworn into civil service. Between their selection and their report for duty, they will make arrangements to leave their current positions and relocate with their family to Houston, Texas.

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yesterday today and tomorrow there’s a thing I really don’t want to change because it changes my world every day, you and I, holding hands, facing life, meeting more, leaving marks, sometimes I don’t know if I went insane and made up someone as good as you, please princess just stay

u better dieee mthfcka

cos id be the king around these parts

songs I’ve been listening to a lot lately old and new

good songs I’ve been listening to :

get away - yuck

thinking about you - the big scary

chamber of reflection - Mac demarco

dissolve me - alt j

cobwebs- animal collective

street flash - animal collective

the purple bottle - animal collective

raspberry cane - youth lagoon

mute - youth lagoon

everything is happening so fast - mgmt

tiny dancer ( never gets old ) - Elton John

band on the run - Paul McCartney and wings

advanced falconry - mutual benefit

I just wanna die - FIDLAR

unfucktheworld- angel Olsen

post production - over the Atlantic

walkabout - atlas sound

oh Louie - Shannon and the clams

beetles - warpaint

liar - built to spill

Crimson and clover - tommy James and the shondells

I think it’s beautiful that you are 256 colors too - black moth super rainbow

skeleton key - Margot and the nuclear so sos

float forever - peace

jump into the fog - the wombats

what’s a girl to do - bat for lashes

last night at the jetty - panda bear

how can you really - foxygen

anemone- Brian jonestown massacre

heartbreaker - girls

all die young - smith westerns

horse race - colormusic

the city in the sea - crystal stilts

Nancy from now on - father john misty

nightmare of you - I want to be buried in your backyard

tell me ( what’s on your mind ) - Allah-las

Bisou magique- melodys echo chamber

the sun was high - best coast

the hours - beach house

other people - beach house

sad girl - lana del rey

you and me - disclosure

she’s a rainbow - the Rolling Stones

im gonna crawl - led zep

punching in a dream - the naked and famous

Simeon’s dilemma - why

election - don dilego

never known love - thieves like us

bad kids- black lips

Billie holiday - warpaint

snow days - real estate

stop crying your eyes out - oasis

Caesar - Ty segall

one million lovers - the growlers

golden age - beach fossils

sleeping lessons - the shins

curse of curves - cute is what we aim for

ice hotels - dinosaur bones

daughters and empty space - the story so far

song for zula - phosphorescent

and many many many more

donut worry

i dont trust people enough to put faith in them i put my faith in these lyrics to make amend I understand