A geologist studying Mars at Caltech and a launch engineer from SpaceX in Hawthorne beat out 18,000 other applicants to become two of NASA’s 12 newest astronauts.
The 12 candidates, who will undergo two years of intense training before qualifying for space flight, come from diverse backgrounds in science, engineering and the military.
The five women and seven men selected were among a record number of applicants, the highest since the 1970s, officials said.
“You have joined the elites, you are the best of us,” said Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday during a congratulatory speech at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston. “You carry on your shoulders the hopes and dreams of the American people.”
The group includes a nuclear engineer used to working on submarines; a microbiologist; four test pilots; A Navy SEAL; an astronautics professor; a SpaceX senior manager; a oceanographic engineer; an Army surgeon; and a planetary geologist working on the Mars Curiosity rover.
At least four of the astronaut candidates have ties to Southern California.
Caltech fellow studying Mars
Jessica Watkins, 29, of Lafayette, Colorado, earned her doctorate in geology at UCLA and currently works as a postdoctoral fellow at Caltech in Pasadena.
For the last two years, she has worked with the team behind the Mars Curiosity rover, one of two active robotic missions on the surface of the red planet. In an interview with Caltech, Watkins said she went to Stanford University to study mechanical engineering with the goal of becoming an astronaut, but fell in love with studying planets instead.
“So what they want to see is that you are well-rounded but that you’ve also chosen a path, are passionate about it, and have excelled in that field, whatever that field may be — as long as it’s a STEM field,” she said in the interview. “To that end, I’ve pursued my passion for planetary geology and studying Mars, and built a career around that with the assumption that if being an astronaut didn’t happen, I’d still be fulfilled and enjoy planetary geology.”
SpaceX employee works with rockets
Robb Kulin, 33, of Anchorage, Alaska, has already sent rockets into space as the senior manager of flight reliability at SpaceX in Hawthorne.
The former ice driller and commercial fisherman in Alaska joined the commercial space company in 2011 after completing a doctorate in engineering at UC San Diego.
At the time of his selection, Kulin, who is also a private pilot, led SpaceX’s Launch Chief Engineering group.
Phillip Larson, a former SpaceX spokesman now working as the assistant dean of engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, applauded Kulin’s selection Wednesday.
“Robb’s professionalism, integrity, intelligence and work ethic are second to none,” Larson tweeted shortly after the news was announced. “This is so perfect.”
JPL intern; Los Angeles native
Loral O’Hara, 34, of Sugar Land, Texas, worked as an intern at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge.
Officials at NASA JPL congratulated former interns O’Hara and Watkins on Twitter.
“They grow up so fast,” the tweet read. It ended with “#proud.”
O’Hara, an engineer, now works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.
Dr. Jonny Kim, a Los Angeles native and U.S. Navy SEAL, also made the cut. Kim, 33, completed more than 100 combat operations, earning the Silver and Bronze stars.
He went on to complete a degree in mathematics at the University of San Diego and his doctorate of medicine at Harvard Medical School, according to NASA’s announcement.
What’s next for the candidates
All 12 astronauts will leave their work behind and report to the Johnson Space Center in August to begin their training. Over the next two years, they’ll learn spacecraft systems, spacewalking skills, teamwork and the Russian language.
Each astronaut will receive a flight mission once they qualify and the process could take as long as seven years.
The class comes at a crucial time in American space flight and the astronauts could be among the first to someday travel to Mars.
“One of these folks behind us could be the one that takes that next iconic giant leap and says the words similar to what Neil Armstrong said when he stepped on the moon and bring the entire NASA family and this entire world with them,” said Robert Lightfoot, NASA’s acting adminstrator, during Wednesday’s announcement. “That’s what the future is for these folks and it’s very, very exciting when you think about it.”
Staff writer Sandy Mazza contributed to this report.
