New Astronauts!

Exciting news! NASA announced their selections for the 2009 astronaut class, who will begin training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center in August. These are the first new hires in 5 years!


The new astronauts are:
Serena M. Aunon (33) of League City, Texas
Jeanette J. Epps (38) of Fairfax, Virginia
Jack D. Fischer (35) of Reston, Virginia
Michael S. Hopkins (40) of Alexandria, Virginia
Kjell N. Lindgren (36) of League City, Texas
Kate Rubins (30) of Cambridge, Massachusetts
Scott D. Tingle (43) of Hollywood, Maryland
Mark T. Vande Hei (42) of El Lago, Texas
Gregory R. Wiseman (33) of Virginia Beach, Virginia

That's three new women, six new men, a rather interesting mix of yankees and southerners (though one was born in Taiwan)... and between them, they hold a combined 23 college degrees! Like, wow.

A few days back, one of my blog posts featured Major Jack Fischer, excerpting an inspiring essay he has now presented in multiple forums, about humanity's continued exploration in space. Glad to see this deserving candidate made it!

For the full article, as well as profiles on each new astronaut, see the 2009 Astronauts Class section of the NASA website...