{"id":539908,"date":"2026-09-15T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=1045741"},"modified":"2026-09-15T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:00:00","slug":"summer-training-catching-up-with-nasas-astronaut-candidates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=539908","title":{"rendered":"Summer Training: Catching Up With NASA\u2019s Astronaut Candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"
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3 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The members of NASA\u2019s 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class pose with rock samples collected during their geology training at the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, New Mexico, in May 2026. <\/div>\n
NASA\/Helen Arase Vargas<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Did you spend part of your summer camping, hiking, at the pool, or in an aircraft? So did NASA\u2019s 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class. <\/p>\n

The 10 candidates have been working their way through a comprehensive and rigorous training program since the agency introduced them to the public on Sept. 22, 2025, from NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston. They are approximately halfway through the nearly two-year training program, which will equip them for missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars.<\/p>\n

Geology Studies<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Since the astronaut candidates can one day be assigned to a future Artemis mission to the lunar surface, geology courses are an important part of their training. In May, candidates completed classroom trainings at Johnson before venturing to the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in New Mexico for additional classroom instruction and training in the field. Several candidates also joined NASA astronauts and Artemis mission support teams for geology field training in Iceland in July. They practiced geologic observations, sampling with tools, navigation, and teamwork, all skills and processes that translate directly to Artemis lunar missions.<\/p>\n