(NASA photo)
NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates were selected following a competitive selection process of more than 8,000 applicants from across the United States. The class now will complete nearly two years of training before becoming eligible for flight assignments supporting future science and exploration missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.
Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy welcomed the all-American 2025 astronaut candidate class during a ceremony at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“I’m honored to welcome the next generation of American explorers to our agency! More than 8,000 people applied – scientists, pilots, engineers, dreamers from every corner of this nation. The 10 men and women sitting here today embody the truth that in America, regardless of where you start, there is no limit to what a determined dreamer can achieve – even going to space,” said Duffy. “Together, we’ll unlock the Golden Age of exploration.”
The agency’s 24th astronaut class reported for duty at NASA Johnson in mid-September and immediately began their training. Their curriculum includes instruction and skills development for complex operations aboard the International Space Station, Artemis missions to the Moon, and beyond. Specifically, training includes robotics, land and water survival, geology, foreign language, space medicine and physiology, and more, while also conducting simulated spacewalks and flying high-performance jets.
After graduation, the 2025 class will join the agency’s active astronaut corps. Active astronauts are conducting science research aboard the space station while preparing for the transition to commercial space stations and the next great leaps in human exploration at the Moon and Mars. The candidates’ operational expertise, scientific knowledge, and technical backgrounds are essential to advancing NASA’s deep space exploration goals and sustaining a long-term human presence beyond low Earth orbit.
The class includes Erin Overcash, 34, lieutenant commander, U.S. Navy, is from Goshen, Kentucky. She holds a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s in bioastronautics from the University of Colorado, Boulder, in 2014. A U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate, Overcash is an experienced F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot with multiple deployments. She has logged more than 1,300 flight hours in 20 aircraft, including 249 carrier arrested landings. Overcash was part of the Navy’s World Class Athlete Program and trained full-time at the Olympic Training Center with the USA Rugby Women’s National Team. She was training for a squadron department head tour at the time of selection.
Overcash was born in Louisville and considers Goshen her hometowm, where her parents Wendell and Joanne Overcash reside. She graduated from Oldham High School. She is a member of The Society for Experimental Test Pilots, the 99s, and Women Military Aviators. She says she enjoys reading, adventure motorcycling, challenge workouts and spending time with friends and family. She is married to another naval aviator.
The other 2025 astronaut candidates are:
• Ben Bailey, 38, chief warrant officer 3, U.S. Army, was born and raised in Charlottesville, Virginia.
• Lauren Edgar, 40, who considers Sammamish, Washington, her hometown.
• Adam Fuhrmann, 35, major, U.S. Air Force, is from Leesburg, Virginia.
• Cameron Jones, 35, major, U.S. Air Force, is a native of Savanna, Illinois.
• Yuri Kubo, 40, is a native of Columbus, Indiana.
• Rebecca Lawler, 38, is a native of Little Elm, Texas.
• Anna Menon, 39, is from Houston.
• Imelda Muller, 34, considers Copake Falls, New York, her hometown.
• Katherine Spies, 43, is a native of San Diego.
NASA now has recruited 370 astronaut candidates since selecting the original Mercury Seven in 1959.
“Today, our mission propels us even further as we prepare for our next giant leap with NASA’s newest astronaut candidate class,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA Johnson. “Representing America’s best and brightest, this astronaut candidate class will usher in the Golden Age of innovation and exploration as we push toward the Moon and Mars.”
NASA