Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Credit: White House

NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) is on high-alert, at least at the Vice Presidential level.

U.S. Vice President Pence is traveling to the NASA field center in Houston, Texas, slated to take part in the Wednesday, June 7 announcement of a new class of astronaut candidates.

The announcement is at 1 p.m. Central Standard – Texas time. Note that the event will air live at 2 p.m. eastern time on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Additionally, the Vice President will tour the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center and hear briefings on current human spaceflight operations.

Selected few

After evaluating a record number of applications, NASA will introduce its new astronaut candidates. They will report to JSC in August to begin their training in spacecraft systems, spacewalking skills, teamwork, Russian language and other necessary skills.

The new astronaut candidates were chosen from more than 18,300 people who submitted applications from December 2015 to February 2016, more than double the previous record of 8,000 set in 1978.

Credit: ESA/NASA

Moon, Mars trajectory

U.S. citizens in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa applied for a chance to join NASA’s astronaut corps and take part in the nation’s human spaceflight program.

Requirements to apply were U.S. citizenship, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) field and at least three years of related experience, or at least 1,000 hours of pilot-in-command time in jet aircraft.

According to NASA: “The new astronaut candidates could one day be performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil aboard spacecraft built by American companies, and traveling to the Moon or even Mars with the help of NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.”

NASA’s Space Launch System.
Credit: NASA

Space Council TBD?

Given past statements by Pence, the White House is expected to declare in the near-term the creation of a National Space Council, a deliberative body to chart the U.S. space agenda, an entity that would be led by the Vice President.

Additionally, still to come is a White House decision on a new NASA Administrator.

At tomorrow’s event, the astronaut candidates will join acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, Johnson Center Director Ellen Ochoa, and Flight Operations Director Brian Kelly on stage.