NASA Open Astronaut Applications, opens call for next class of explorers

NASA welcomed its new generation of Artemis astronauts in a ceremony Tuesday at the Johnson Space Center. 10 astronaut graduates are now qualified for flight missions.

Now the agency has also announced the opening for the next round of applications for NASA astronauts. Future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond will require more adventurers to join the teams to explore the universe." That's exciting news! On March 5, 2024, NASA celebrated the graduation of 12 new astronauts, 10 from the US and 2 from the United Arab Emirates

Astronaut graduates selected for training in 2021 are selected from a pool of more than 12,000 applicants and have successfully completed more than two years of required basic training that includes spacewalking, robotics, space station systems and more.

Graduates may be assigned to missions aboard the International Space Station, future commercial space stations, and the Artemis mission missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars.

OPM is pleased to continue to support NASA professionals in designing and implementing their hiring practices. And I look forward to growing our ranks as we help expand humanity's access to the solar system."

The graduating NASA astronauts are Nicole Ayers of Colorado Springs, Colorado; Marcos Berríos of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico; Chris Birch of Gilbert, Arizona; Denise Banham of Wasilla, Alaska; Luke Delaney of Depary, Florida; Andre Douglas of Chesapeake, Virginia; Jack Hathaway of South Windsor, Connecticut; Anil Menon of Minneapolis; Chris Williams of Potomac, Maryland and Jessica Whitner of Clovis, California.

Two UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronauts, Nora Almadrushi and Mohammed Almullah of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center, trained alongside their NASA counterparts for the past two years and participated in the graduation ceremony.

This is part of NASA's partnership with the United Arab Emirates, including other activities that support groundbreaking science and research on Earth and in space, thanks to the collaboration with the International Space Station.