Will Talk With Local Students About The Value Of STEM Programs

NASA's 2013 astronaut class will participate in an educational event at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington Thursday.

The eight astronaut candidates talk with Washington-area students and the public about the value of education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).During the program, attending students also will have the opportunity to interact live with NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins and Rick Mastracchio, who currently are aboard the International Space Station. The event will take place in the museum's Moving Beyond Earth gallery.

NASA's 2013 astronaut candidates are: Josh A. Cassada and Victor J. Glover, lieutenant commanders in the U.S. Navy; Tyler N. "Nick" Hague, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force; Christina M. Hammock; Nicole Aunapu Mann, a major in the U.S. Marine Corps; Anne C. McClain and Andrew R. Morgan, majors in the U.S. Army; and Jessica U. Meir, who holds a Ph.D. in marine biology.

These candidates were selected from a pool of more than 6,000 applicants, the second largest in NASA's history. The group is in a two-year training process, which includes technical activities at space centers and remote locations around the globe. The training is designed to prepare them for missions that will help the agency push the boundaries of exploration and travel to new destinations in the solar system, including an asteroid and Mars.

(Image of 2013 Astronaut class provided by NASA. From left to right are Tyler N. (Nick) Hague, Andrew R. Morgan, Jessica U. Meir, Christina M. Hammock, Nicole Aunapu Mann, Josh A. Cassada, Anne C. McClain and Victor J. Glover.)

FMI: www.nasa.gov/2013astroclass