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Houston Woman Among 12 Astronaut Candidates Chosen By NASA
The candidates will begin a two-year training program this August to prepare for the U.S. next generation of space exploration.
CLEAR LAKE, TX — NASA introduced the 12 newest members of its astronaut training program during a ceremony held Wednesday, at Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake.
Vice President Mike Pence was there to greet each of the astronaut hopefuls and affirm the Trump Administration’s commitment to making the United States a leader in space exploration once again. (Want to get daily updates about traffic news and other events going on in your area? Sign up for the free Houston Patch morning newsletter.)
“Under President Donald Trump, America will lead in space once again and the world will marvel,” Pence said as he addressed the seven men and five women astronaut candidates.
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The 12 candidates, who will begin their astronaut training in August, were chosen from a pool of more than 18,000 applicants with backgrounds in engineering, science, mathematics, and aviation.
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One of the 12 chosen for the program was Loral O’Hara, who was born in Houston and raised in Sugar Land, where her parents still live today.
O’Hara, 34, is one of only two astronauts in the history of NASA to be native Houstonians.
“Growing up in Houston, I had the Johnson Space Center just down the road,” she told KHOU. “Those early experiences really hooked me, and are a big part of what ignited the dream of becoming an astronaut.”
The other candidates are Kayla Barron, Zena Cardman, Air Force Lt. Col. Raja Chari, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Dominick, Bob Hines, Warren “Woody” Hoburg, Jonathan Kim, Robb Kulin, Marine Maj. Jasmin Moghbeli, U.S. Army Maj. Francisco Rubio, and Jessica Watkins.
The 12 candidates will join 44 other astronauts when they complete their training in 2019, but it may be a while still before they are slip the surly bonds of Earth and launch into space.
An American astronaut hasn’t done that since 2011 when the shuttle program was retired from services, KTRK reported.
Once she and the other candidates complete the training, O’Hara will be assigned technical duties in the astronaut office awaiting a flight assignment, which may include a ride to the International Space Station on a commercial rocket, or a flight beyond the moon on NASA Orion rocket on a trip to Mars.
Image: NASA
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