NASA Astronaut Group 23
| The Flies | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Year selected | 2021 |
| Number selected | 12 |
NASA Astronaut Group 23(nicknamedThe Flies) was announced on December 6, 2021, with the class reporting for duty some time in 2022. Twelve astronaut candidates were selected, including seven men and five women.
History[edit]
NASAannounced the creation of thisastronautgroup in February 2020 and accepted applications for astronaut hires during the month of March 2020. For this class, the educational requirements increased to be at minimum a master's degree in aSTEMfield (engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics) from an accredited institution; in classes prior to this, a bachelor's degree was all that was required. Additionally, a 2-hour online assessment was required for the first time.[1]Over 12,000 applications were received by NASA, coming from all 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbiaand four U.S. territories.[2]
The Group 23 astronaut candidates were originally planned to arrive at theJohnson Space CenterinHoustonfor training in the summer of 2021, and when their approximately two-year-long training program is complete, they become available for future missions to theInternational Space Stationinlow Earth orbitaboard NASA or commercial crew vehicles, theMoonvia theArtemis program,andMars.[1]However, due to complications with interviewing potential applicants in person due toCOVID-19restrictions at JSC, the announcement of the new class has been pushed back twice:
- In August 2020, the agency revised the timetable, pushing the final announcement date from summer to late 2021.[3]As of the August 2020 revision, several rounds of interviews were to have been conducted in Houston between February and September 2021, with the announcement of the Class of 2021 in October or November and their arrival at JSC for training in December.[4]
- In March 2021, the agency again revised the timetable: on-site interviews will be scheduled for summer 2021, with the new class announcement in late 2021 and the new class reporting in 2022.[5][needs update]
TwoEmiraticandidates,Nora Al MatrooshiandMohammad Al Mulla,selected by theMBRSC,will take part in training as international partner astronauts.Hazza Al Mansouri– who already went to space on boardSoyuz MS-15– and candidateSultan Al Neyadiwere already training at NASA since before the 23rd group was chosen, but only Nora and Mohammad are considered part of the group 23.[6][7]
Group 23, including the two Emirati candidates, graduated NASA's astronaut training program on March 5, 2024, becoming eligible for assignment to future missions.[8]
Group members[edit]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Astronaut Class of 2021 Official AnnouncementDecember 6, 2021 |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| NASA's Astronaut Graduation 2024March 5, 2024 |
The list:[9]
- Nichole Ayers:Air Force Fighter Pilot
- Marcos Berríos:Air Force Helicopter Test Pilot
- Christina Birch:Bioengineer, Team USA Track Cyclist
- Deniz Burnham:Drilling Engineer
- Luke Delaney:NASA Langley Research Pilot
- Andre Douglas:Space Systems Engineer
- Jack Hathaway:Navy Test Pilot
- Anil Menon:Medical Director,SpaceX
- Christopher Williams:Medical Physicist
- Jessica Wittner:Navy Test Pilot, Research Engineer
Two candidate astronauts from theUnited Arab Emiratesare training as part of the group 23:[10][11]
- Nora Al Matrooshi:Mechanical Engineer
- Mohammad Al Mulla:Helicopter Pilot
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abSchierholz, Stephanie."Explorers Wanted: NASA to Hire More Artemis Generation Astronauts".nasa.gov.National Aeronautics and Space Administration.RetrievedFebruary 14,2020.
- ^Leinfelder, Andrea."More than 12,000 apply to be NASA's next class of astronauts".Houston Chronicle.RetrievedApril 2,2020.
- ^Pearlman, Robert."NASA delays new astronaut selection due to coronavirus constraints".collectspace.collectSpace.RetrievedAugust 29,2020.
- ^Blodgett, Rachael."Astronaut Selection Timeline".NASA.gov.National Aeronautics & Space Administration.RetrievedAugust 29,2020.
- ^Blodgett, Rachael."Astronaut Selection Timeline".NASA.gov.National Aeronautics & Space Administration.RetrievedMarch 19,2021.
- ^"MBRSC announces final 14 candidates for the UAE Astronaut Programme".gulfnews.
- ^"UAE names two new astronauts, including first woman candidate | collectSPACE".collectSPACE.
- ^https:// youtube /watch?v=FIwG9b1z4C8NASA's Astronaut Graduation 2024
- ^Margetta, Robert (December 6, 2021)."NASA Selects New Astronaut Recruits to Train for Future Missions".NASA.RetrievedDecember 6,2021.
- ^"NASA Introduces Class of 10 New Astronaut Candidates".December 6, 2021.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
Mr. Nelson also announced that two people from the United Arab Emirates, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammad Al Mulla, will train with the NASA astronaut candidates.
- ^"NASA names 10 new astronaut candidates for future space missions".December 6, 2021.RetrievedDecember 9,2021.
The new astronaut candidates will be joined in their training by two United Arab Emirates (UAE) candidates, Nora AlMatrooshi, a 28-year-old mechanical engineer, and Mohammad AlMulla, a 33-year-old pilot for the Dubai Police, who were selected by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai in April.
NASA Astronaut Group 23,"The Flies", 2021  | |||||||
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NASA Astronaut Group 22← NASA Astronaut Group 23 → NASA Astronaut Group 24 | |||||||
Emiratipartner astronauts:
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