NASA recruits 12 new astronauts for Earth orbit, deep space missions

NASA introduced 12 new astronauts on Wednesday (June 7), who will train for missions into Earth orbit and to deep space.

The seven men and five women comprise the 22nd class of American spaceflight trainees since 1959. The group is the largest NASA has selected in almost two decades.

Vice President Mike Pence joined NASA leaders, including acting administrator Robert Lightfoot and director of flight operations Brian Kelly, in Houston, Texas to announce the new astronaut candidates, or "ascans." The event was set inside the Johnson Space Center's Space Vehicle Mockup Facility in front of a full-scale engineering model of NASA's Orion spacecraft, which the new astronauts might fly in the coming years on missions beyond low Earth orbit.

The ascans, who in August will formally report to begin two years of basic training, may also fly on commercial crewed spacecraft being built by Boeing and SpaceX for flights to the International Space Station.

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