NASA Astronaut Group 22 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Turtles
NASA Astronaut Group 22 and the two Canadian astronauts in September 2019
Year selected	2017
Number selected	12
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NASA Astronaut Group 22 is a special team of twelve NASA astronauts. They were chosen in June 2017. This group is also known as "The Turtles." Two astronauts from the Canadian Space Agency joined them for their training.

Becoming an Astronaut

The group's special patch

NASA announced they were looking for new astronauts in November 2015. People could apply from December 2015 to February 2016. A huge number of people wanted to join. NASA received over 18,300 applications!

The final group of twelve chosen candidates was announced on June 7, 2017. U. S. Vice President Mike Pence introduced the new class at a press conference. This took place at the Johnson Space Center. The group included seven men and six women. Their ages ranged from 29 to 42 when they were announced.

Training and Nickname

The Group 22 Astronaut Candidates arrived at the Johnson Space Center in Houston in August 2017. Their training program lasted about two years. By January 2020, they had finished their training. This meant they were ready for future space missions.

The group earned their nickname "The Turtles" soon after they arrived. There was a big flood from Hurricane Harvey. The astronaut group before them, called "The 8-Balls," chose this name. This is a tradition at NASA.

The first astronauts from this group to fly to space were Raja Chari and Kayla Barron. They flew on SpaceX Crew-3. They took a small turtle with them as a zero-gravity indicator. This was a way to honor their astronaut group.

Meet the Astronauts

Here are the members of NASA Astronaut Group 22:

• Kayla Barron (born 1987): She is a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy.
  • She flew on SpaceX Crew-3.
• Zena Cardman (born 1987): She is a biologist, studying living things.
• Raja Chari (born 1977): He is a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force.
  • He flew on SpaceX Crew-3.
• Matthew Dominick (born 1981): He is a Commander in the U.S. Navy.
• Bob Hines (born 1975): He was a research pilot for NASA.
  • He flew on SpaceX Crew-4.
• Warren Hoburg (born 1985): He was a professor at MIT.
  • He flew on SpaceX Crew-6.
• Jonny Kim (born 1984): He is a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He is also a doctor and a former U.S. Navy SEAL.
• Robb Kulin (born 1983): He was an engineer at SpaceX. He resigned in August 2018 before finishing his training.
• Jasmin Moghbeli (born 1983): She is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps.
  • She flew on SpaceX Crew-7.
• Loral O'Hara (born 1983): She is a research engineer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
• Francisco Rubio (born 1975): He is a Major in the U.S. Army and a doctor.
  • He flew on Soyuz MS-22.
• Jessica Watkins (born 1988): She was a researcher at California Institute of Technology.
  • She flew on SpaceX Crew-4.

Canadian Partner Astronauts

Two Canadian astronaut candidates trained alongside the U.S. astronauts:

• Joshua Kutryk (born 1982): He is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force. He is a test pilot, fighter pilot, and engineer.
• Jenni Sidey-Gibbons (born 1988): She is a mechanical engineer and a scientist who studies burning.

See also

In Spanish: Grupo 22 de Astronautas de la NASA para niños