Class Includes Two Army Candidates

The U.S. Army's two astronaut candidates officially joined the astronaut corps, July 7.

Maj. Anne McClain and Maj. Andrew Morgan are among the eight new astronauts, who are ready to help advance scientific research aboard the International Space Station and pave the way for the United States' new space launch capabilities and journey to Mars. The four women and four men moving from candidates to the corps were part of the 2013 astronaut class, chosen from 6,300 applications - the second largest number of applications NASA ever has received.

"These individuals have worked incredibly hard to attain this milestone," said Chris Cassidy, chief of the astronaut office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "For many, it is the culmination of a lifetime of dedication and perseverance to reach this goal. We are proud to have them join the NASA astronaut corps."

The group reported to Johnson in August 2013 to begin technical space system training, robotics instruction and specialized hardware and science instruction. They have successfully completed two years of intensive training and now will support mission operations and technical duties while awaiting spaceflight assignments.

"It is an honor to have these talented and skilled individuals as part of the operations organization," said Brian Kelly, director of flight operations at Johnson. "We look forward to their future contributions as we enter this new era of human space exploration."

The new astronauts are:

Maj. Andrew Morgan, who considers New Castle, Pennsylvania, home. Morgan is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and earned a doctorate in medicine from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He has experience as an emergency physician and flight surgeon for the Army special operations community, and is completing a sports medicine fellowship.

Maj. Anne McClain hails from Spokane, Washington. She is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and the University of Bath and University of Bristol, both in the United Kingdom. McClain is an OH-58 helicopter pilot, and a recent graduate of U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. Follow McClain on Twitter at @AstroAnnimal.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Josh Cassada is originally from White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Cassada is a naval aviator, who holds an undergraduate degree from Albion College, Michigan, and advanced degrees from the University of Rochester, New York. Cassada is a physicist by training and previously served as co-founder and chief technology officer for a private technology company.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Victor Glover, hails from Pomona, California, and Prosper, Texas. He is an F/A-18 pilot and graduate of the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. Glover holds degrees from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, and the Air University and Naval Postgraduate School. He is serving as a Navy Legislative Fellow in the U.S. Congress. Follow Glover on Twitter at @VicGlover.

Air Force Lt. Col. Tyler "Nick" Hague calls Hoxie, Kansas, home. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Hague is supporting the Department of Defense as deputy chief of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization.

Christina Hammock, from Jacksonville, North Carolina, holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. She is serving as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration station chief in American Samoa.

Marine Corps Maj. Nicole Mann is originally from Penngrove, California. She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; Stanford University, California; and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station, or NAS, Patuxent River, Maryland. Mann is an F/A-18 pilot serving as an integrated product team lead at NAS Patuxent River. Follow Mann on Twitter at @AstroDuke.

Jessica Meir is from Caribou, Maine. She is a graduate of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and has an advanced degree from the International Space University in Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France. Meir earned her doctorate from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. She is an assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

(Image provided by NASA)

FMI: www.nasa.gov