NASA's 2025 Astronaut Class Progresses Through Rigorous Training

• The 10 members of NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class are halfway through a two-year training program aimed at preparing them for missions to the Moon, Mars, and low Earth orbit.
• Training includes specialized geology fieldwork, high-altitude flight operations, physiological pressure simulation, and emergency survival exercises.
• The cohort is scheduled to graduate in 2027 and join the active astronaut corps.

Geology and Field Training

• Candidates conducted classroom and field-based geology studies in New Mexico at the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument to prepare for potential Artemis lunar missions.
• Participants traveled to Iceland for field training, practicing navigation, sampling techniques, and geologic observation alongside mission support teams.

Aviation and Physiological Preparation

• Flight training involves operating NASA’s long-range WB-57 aircraft and T-38 supersonic jets to improve pilot coordination and adaptability.
• Candidates perform altitude chamber runs to practice safety protocols and familiarize themselves with environmental conditions ranging from sea level to near-vacuum pressure.

Survival and Core Skills

• Water survival training takes place in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL), where candidates simulate emergency scenarios and storm conditions.
• Additional training includes intensive Russian language acquisition, cross-cultural education, spacecraft system operation, spacewalk simulations, and vehicle maintenance procedures.