NASA Selects New Astronaut Recruits to Train for Future Missions
NASA announced its 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class on Dec. 6, 2021.
Four of NASA's ten new astronaut candidates are women. These outstanding candidates were chosen from among 12,000 applicants to reflect the diversity of the American people. The women include Nichole Ayers, a major in the US Airforce and one of the few women to fly the F-22. Christina Birch has degrees in mathematics, biochemistry, and molecular biophysics - and teaches at CalTech. Denize Brunham, a former intern at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, serves in the Navy Reserves and is a leader in the energy industry. Jessica Wittner is both an aerospace engineer and Navy test pilot, combining two traditional routes to becoming an astronaut with NASA. These women now have the opportunity to be a part of crewed missions to Low Earth Orbit, the Moon, and perhaps even Mars in the coming years.
