Ten men and women were chosen out of approximately 8,000 applicants.
HOUSTON, Texas—One of the first Americans to set foot on Mars may have made his or her debut as an astronaut candidate on Sept. 22, according to Sean Duffy.
The acting administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) revealed that possibility as he took part in the unveiling ceremony of the 24th and latest class of what NASA called “all-American” astronaut candidates.
“One of these 10 could actually be one of the first Americans to put their boots on the Mars surface,” Duffy said.
Four men and six women were chosen from a pool of 8,000 applicants. Their background varied from test pilot to anesthesiologist, but according to Duffy, they all exemplified American excellence and the American dream. He codified earlier remarks that these men and women would further America’s golden age of exploration.
“There’s nothing that embodies the American dream more than the 10 of you today having these spots,” he said to the candidates. “I know it was hard work, a lot of effort, a lot of studying, a lot of training for you to win these spots at NASA, but you truly—today—are living the American dream.”
The Test Pilots
Like the original Mercury Seven astronauts that came before them, six of NASA’s latest 10 candidates served as test pilots.
Adam Fuhrmann, 35, is an Air Force major and was most recently serving as the director of operations for a flight test unit. The Leesburg, Virginia, native holds a master’s degree in flight test engineering from the Air Force’s Test Pilot School, among other engineering degrees. He’s logged more than 2,100 flight hours across 27 different aircraft, including the F-35 and the F-16, as well as more than 400 combat hours as part of Operations Freedom’s Sentinel and Resolute Support.
Rebecca Lawler, 38, is a former Navy lieutenant colonel who served as an experimental test pilot, logging more than 2,800 hours across more than 45 aircraft. She graduated from the National Test Pilot School and the Naval Test Pilot School, and flew as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter, and during NASA’s Operation IceBridge, monitoring changes in polar ice. She was most recently a test pilot for United Airlines. The Little Elm, Texas, native also earned a degree in mechanical engineering from the Naval Academy and got her master’s from Johns Hopkins University.
By T.J. Muscaro
