This summer 12 new recruits will report to NASA Johnson Space Center to start a two-year boot camp for “astronaut candidates.” They will train in teamwork, spacewalking and spacecraft operations, as well as learning Russian—a skill they will need to communicate with cosmonauts on joint missions. Yet when and where they will eventually fly is still unclear. The lucky 12 beat out a record 18,300 applicants to become astronauts at a time when the job description is somewhat unspecified. Will they live and work on the International Space Station (ISS) as astronauts do today? Probably, although NASA has not said exactly how long it will continue to operate the station. The agency plans to run it until at least 2024, but could decide to extend its tenure until 2028.* Might they fly to new destinations, like Mars, or revisit the moon? It’s anyone’s guess.
Image: Vice President Mike Pence speaks at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston following the introduction of NASA's 2017 astronaut candidate class on June 7, 2017. Credit: NASA
