| The Flies | |
|---|---|
_Portrait_(b).jpg) | |
| Year selected | 2021 |
| Number selected | 12 |
NASA Astronaut Group 23 (nicknamedThe Flies) was announced on December 6, 2021, with the class reporting for duty in January 2022. Twelve astronaut candidates were selected, including seven men and five women.
NASA announced the creation of thisastronaut group in February 2020 and accepted applications for astronaut hires during the month of March 2020. For this class, the educational requirements increased to be at minimum a master's degree in aSTEM field (engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science, or mathematics) from an accredited institution; in classes prior to this, a bachelor's degree was all that was required. Additionally, a 2-hour online assessment was required for the first time.[1] Over 12,000 applications were received by NASA, coming from all 50 states plus theDistrict of Columbia and four U.S. territories.[2]
The Group 23 astronaut candidates were originally planned to arrive at theJohnson Space Center inHouston for training in the summer of 2021, and with the completion of their approximately two-year-long training program, they would become available for future missions to theInternational Space Station inlow Earth orbit aboard NASA or commercial crew vehicles, theMoon via theArtemis program, andMars.[1] However, due to complications with interviewing potential applicants in person due toCOVID-19 restrictions at JSC, the announcement of the new class was pushed back twice:
The selection of Group 23 was announced on December 6, 2021, with training to commence in January 2022.[6]
TwoEmirati candidates,Nora Al Matrooshi andMohammad Al Mulla, selected by theMBRSC, took part in training as international partner astronauts.Hazza Al Mansouri – who already went to space on boardSoyuz MS-15 – and candidateSultan Al Neyadi were already training at NASA since before the 23rd group was chosen, but only Nora and Mohammad are considered part of the group 23.[7][8]
Group 23, including the two Emirati candidates, graduated NASA's astronaut training program on March 5, 2024, becoming eligible for assignment to future missions.[9]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Astronaut Class of 2021 Official Announcement December 6, 2021 |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| NASA's Astronaut Graduation 2024 March 5, 2024 |
The U.S. astronauts trained alongside two astronaut candidates from theUnited Arab Emirates:[10][11]
Mr. Nelson also announced that two people from the United Arab Emirates, Nora Al Matrooshi and Mohammad Al Mulla, will train with the NASA astronaut candidates.
The new astronaut candidates will be joined in their training by two United Arab Emirates (UAE) candidates, Nora AlMatrooshi, a 28-year-old mechanical engineer, and Mohammad AlMulla, a 33-year-old pilot for the Dubai Police, who were selected by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai in April.
NASA Astronaut Group 23, "The Flies", 2021  | |||||||
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NASA Astronaut Group 22 ← NASA Astronaut Group 23 →NASA Astronaut Group 24 | |||||||
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