NASA has announced the next generation of astronauts that will fly aboard NASA missions. These future space tourists will experience NASA’s Altair rocket after training for the next ten years on the International Space Station.
To secure a ticket, applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering or math with an associated Air Force rating and successfully complete the NASA Astronaut Selection and Training Program’s astronaut astronaut candidate selection. The selected astronauts will make history as NASA’s first astronauts with what is termed as Astronaut Basic Rating (ABR) 2 after completing two intensive months of training.
According to NASA, “ABR 2 prepares astronauts for safety and crew workload while gaining experience training the major spacesuit and gear systems required in space and in Low Earth Orbit.” An astronaut candidate with ABR 2 is required to have a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline or research major while logging approximately 1,000 hours on various types of scientific research and experimental flights before becoming an astronaut.
According to NASA, one of the reasons the new crew members were selected was because they were selected for their safety and well-being in space. Their transportation in space will be by way of SpaceX/Dragon rocket from Cape Canaveral.
The applicants will join current U.S. astronaut astronaut candidates including Reid Wiseman, Tim Kopra, Nick Hague, Clay Anderson, Sandra Magnus, Jessica Meir, who is retired from NASA and crew members Bob Behnken, Sunita Williams, Scott Kelly, Mikhail Kornienko, Cady Coleman, Nicole Stott, Justine Aguilar, Thomas Pesquet, and Sunita Williams.