Beijing, 7 Dec (Xinhua) -- The Us National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) introduced the newly selected 10 reserve astronauts to the public on 6 December. After two years of training, those who qualify will travel to the International Space Station or participate in deep space exploration projects such as the Lunar Landing Project.
This is May 23, 2020, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, astronaut Bob Benken wearing a spacesuit to participate in a launch exercise. (Xinhua News Agency, courtesy of NASA)
NASA issued a statement saying that this is a new batch of reserve astronauts recruited after a gap of 4 years, including 6 men and 4 women, aged between 32 and 45. Half of them are military pilots, and others include a medical physicist, a drilling expert, a maritime roboticist, an aeronautical doctor who switched careers from NASA, and a biologist who has made great achievements in some world-class and national cycling competitions.
Starting in January 2022, the 10 people will begin a two-year training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, the statement said. The training is mainly divided into five aspects: operating and maintaining the ISS system, spacewalk training, mastering complex robotics, safely operating the T-38 trainer aircraft, and mastering the Russian language.
This is May 23, 2020, at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, astronaut Douglas Hurley (left) and astronaut Bob Benken in a spacesuit to participate in a launch exercise. (Xinhua News Agency, courtesy of NASA)
Participation in training does not mean that you will be able to officially become an astronaut, only if you have completed the training and met certain requirements.
NASA openly recruited astronauts in March last year, including a master's degree in science and engineering from a regular university. The 10 pre-astronauts were selected from about 12,000 candidates through multiple rounds of screening, including online assessments, interviews, team missions, comprehensive physical examinations and aptitude tests.
According to the Associated Press, since NASA announced the first list of astronauts in April 1959, a total of 360 people have been selected for nasa's space brigade. (Yuan Yuan)
Source: Xinhua News Agency