NASA names next nine astronauts

Three test pilots, two flight surgeons and an International Space Station flight controller are among the nine new astronaut candidates NASA named today from more than 3,500 applicants.

The other candidates include a CIA intelligence officer, a special assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a biomedical researcher.

The class of six men and three women, whose ages range from 30 to 43, is the first since 2004 and the first in decades that will not fly on the space shuttle.

They are expected to be prepared for long duration missions to the International Space Station and possibly the moon, riding on Russian Soyuz spacecraft or whatever vehicles NASA develops to replace the shuttle, which is scheduled to retire in 2010 or 2011.

The new astronauts will train for about two years before being assigned to missions.

U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Wiseman, one of the test pilots, said watching a shuttle launch from the Space Coast was influential in his choice to become an astronaut.

"When I saw my first space shuttle launch from the side of a road in Cocoa Beach in 2001, my ambition was sealed," he said in a NASA interview. "There is nothing more exhilarating than watching the most complex machine on Earth accelerating downrange."

Here's the NASA press release:

NASA SELECTS NINE NEW ASTRONAUTS FOR FUTURE SPACE EXPLORATION

HOUSTON -- 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.