After reviewing more
than 3,500 applications, NASA has selected nine people for the 2009
astronaut candidate class. They will begin training at NASA's
Johnson Space Center in Houston this August.
"This is a very talented and diverse group we've selected," said
Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations at
NASA Headquarters in Washington. "They will join our current
astronauts and play very important roles for NASA in the future. In
addition to flying in space, astronauts participate in every aspect
of human spaceflight, sharing their expertise with engineers and
managers across the country. We look forward to working with them
as we transcend from the shuttle to our future exploration of
space, and continue the important engineering and scientific
discoveries aboard the International Space Station."
The new astronaut candidates are:
Serena M. Aunon, 33, of League City, Texas; University of Texas
Medical Branch flight surgeon for NASA's Space Shuttle,
International Space Station and Constellation Programs; born in
Indianapolis. Aunon holds degrees from George Washington
University, University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston
and the University of Texas Medical Branch.
Jeanette J. Epps, 38, of Fairfax, Va.; technical intelligence
officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. Born in Syracuse,
N.Y., Epps holds degrees from LeMoyne College in Syracuse and the
University of Maryland.
Jack D. Fischer, major, U.S. Air Force, 35, of Reston, Va.;
test pilot; U.S. Air Force Strategic Policy intern, Joint Chiefs of
Staff, at the Pentagon. Born in Boulder, Colo., Fischer is a
graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co.,
and MIT.
Michael S. Hopkins, lieutenant colonel, U.S. Air Force, 40, of
Alexandria, Va.; special assistant to the Vice Chairman, Joint
Chiefs of Staff, at the Pentagon. Born in Lebanon, Mo., Hopkins
holds degrees from the University of Illinois and Stanford
University.
Kjell N. Lindgren, 36, of League City, Texas; University of
Texas Medical Branch flight surgeon for NASA's Space Shuttle,
International Space Station and Constellation Programs. Born in
Taipei, Taiwan, Lindgren has degrees from the U.S. Air Force
Academy, Colorado State University, the University of Colorado, the
University of Minnesota and the University of Texas Medical
Branch.
Kathleen (Kate) Rubins, 30, of Cambridge, Mass.; principal
investigator and fellow, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical
Research at MIT. Born in Farmington, Conn., Rubins conducts
research trips to the Congo and has degrees from the University of
California-San Diego and Stanford University.
Scott D. Tingle, commander, U.S. Navy, 43, of Hollywood, Md.;
test pilot and assistant program manager-Systems Engineering at
Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Born in Attleboro, Mass., Tingle
holds degrees from Southeastern Massachusetts University (now the
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth) and Purdue University.
Mark T. Vande Hei, lieutenant colonel, U.S. Army, 42, of El
Lago, Texas; flight controller for the International Space Station
at the Johnson Space Center as part of the U.S. Army NASA
Detachment. Born in Falls Church, Va., Vande Hei is a graduate of
Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn., and Stanford
University.
Gregory R. (Reid) Wiseman, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy, 33,
of Virginia Beach, Va.; test pilot; department head, Strike Fighter
Squadron 103, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, in Oceana, Va. Born in
Baltimore, Wiseman is a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute and Johns Hopkins University.
ANN Note: Despite his best efforts, ANN
Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell, failed to make the cut... again.
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