Space School

February 5, 2026

Lillian Stone and TFK Kid Reporter Hanming Wang

En Espanol

A group of NASA astronauts in blue flight suits pose together behind large red letters spelling “NASA.” — BLAST OFF! NASA announces its new astronaut candidates on September 22, 2025, at Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas. COURTESY NASA

If you traveled to space tomorrow, what skills would you need? You’d need to know how to operate your spacecraft. You’d need to know how to stay healthy in orbit. You’d need to know how to conduct a spacewalk.

NASA astronauts learn these skills and others during the agency’s Astronaut Candidate candidate a person who is trying to get elected to office or chosen for a position (noun) Program, a two-year course designed to train new recruits. In September, the agency welcomed 10 newcomers. They’ll spend the next two years learning what it takes to travel to space.

Future Astronauts

NASA announced the new candidates on September 22. They were recognized with a ceremony held at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas. Sean Duffy, the acting NASA administrator at the time of the announcement, spoke at the ceremony. The new candidates prove “there is no limit to what a determined dreamer can achieve,” Duffy said. “Even going to space.”

These candidates are part of an elite group. Since 1959, NASA has selected just 370 astronauts from thousands of applicants. (See “Help Wanted.”) In his speech, Duffy noted that more than 8,000 people applied for the 10 spots in the 2025 program.

A group of people stand beside a large NASA rover vehicle in a rocky desert area, with American flags displayed.

LET’S ROLL At the Johnson Space Center, the candidates learn to drive lunar rovers, which will be used in space.

COURTESY NASA

The candidates come from different backgrounds. Some, like Adam Fuhrmann, have served in the military. Fuhrmann is a major in the United States Air Force. Others, like Lauren Edgar, are scientists. Edgar is a geologist geologist a scientist who studies the Earth’s materials, such as rocks, minerals, and soil (noun) .

Rebecca Lawler, another of the newcomers, is an experienced pilot. She served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, logging more than 2,800 hours in more than 45 aircraft. She even spent time as a hurricane hunter with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, flying into hurricanes to help scientists gather storm data. As an astronaut candidate, she’s learning a whole new set of skills.

Two people sit inside a large NASA rover vehicle with wide wheels as it drives over rocky ground under a blue sky.

TEST DRIVE Candidates Rebecca Lawler (left) and Lauren Edgar drive a lunar rover at the Johnson Space Center.

COURTESY NASA

“The training is really fun,” Lawler told TFK Kid Reporter Hanming Wang. “I’m studying as hard as I can. I’m going to take this moment and learn everything I can.”

Training for Takeoff

Robotics and geology are among the subjects Lawler and her classmates are studying. They’re also learning practical skills such as medicine and survival techniques. They’ll conduct simulated spacewalks and learn to fly jets, and they’ll learn ways to communicate with other astronauts. Lawler, for example, is studying Russian, in case she ever needs to work with cosmonauts.

A group of people wearing camouflage uniforms stand together in a forest, smiling beside a small shelter made of branches.

NEW SKILLS The crew practices survival skills in Fort Rucker, Alabama.

COURTESY NASA

After graduation, the 2025 class will join NASA’s astronaut corps. Their assignments might include conducting research aboard the International Space Station. They could walk on the moon. It’s not impossible that they’ll travel to Mars. “Growing up as a kid in north Texas, I was always interested in watching aircraft fly overhead,” says Lawler. Soon, she may be soaring out of sight.

Help Wanted

Several people float inside an airplane cabin during a zero-gravity flight, wearing jumpsuits as they practice moving in midair.

COURTESY NASA

Anyone can apply for the NASA astronaut candidate program. NASA posts the application form online. As with other jobs, there are requirements: Applicants must be healthy. They must have a master’s degree in a STEM field, such as engineering, plus three years of professional experience. NASA also looks for “skills in leadership, teamwork, and communications.”

NASA hires new candidates roughly every four years. Would you like to apply someday?