These will be the first astronauts to travel to Mars

On Friday, January 10, 2020, NASA welcomed 13 new astronauts; the first to graduate since the announcement of the Artemis program, which aims to bring the first woman and man to the surface of the moon by 2024. With plans for lunar missions every year, they represent the first step in preparing for the giant leap to Mars sometime in the 2030’s.

The group, which was chosen from among more than 18,000 applications, includes six women and seven men, two of them astronauts from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). During the ceremony at the Johnson Space Center of the American Space Agency in Houston, each of the graduates received a silver pin symbolizing Mercury 7, the first group of NASA astronauts to be selected in 1959 for US manned missions.

"These people represent the best of America, and what an incredible time to join our astronaut corps," said NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine.

The Turtles

The graduates, dubbed the "Turtles," a metaphor that Vice President Mike Pence employed when the astronaut class was originally announced in 2017, are the first class of astronauts to graduate under the Artemis program, which also covers the development and updating of technologies for the gateway to the lunar orbit platform, the Orion spacecraft and missions that will send astronauts to Mars and perhaps beyond.

The 13 astronauts are already eligible to be assigned to fly on the first manned moon mission since 1972. The next landing will be special, not only because it will be the first after many decades, but also because it will be the first lunar mission that includes a crew with a diversity of genders.

For two years, the candidates have been trained in instruction, practice and testing in space walks, robotics, International Space Station systems, command of the T-38 jet and the Russian language.

As astronauts, they will help develop spacecraft, support the teams currently in space and eventually join the ranks of the approximately 500 people who have had the honor of going into space.

20 years in the ISS

Artemis will be the second major series of moon missions operated by the American space agency. The Apollo missions developed between 1968 and 1972 and sent nine human missions to the moon. Six landed, allowing 12 men to walk on the surface. In this case, Artemis is a much more complex program than the Apollo missions, as it is a public-private partnership, has multiple layers and uses more robotics than previous flights.

NASA continues its work aboard the space station and will celebrate 20 consecutive years of human occupation on the ISS in November 2020.

Including the current class, NASA has 48 active astronauts and the agency plans to open applications for new astronaut candidates in spring.

Who are the American astronauts?

Kayla Barron - lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.

Zena Cardman - biologist

Raja Chari - Colonel of the U.S. Air Force.

Matthew Dominick - lieutenant commander of the U.S. Navy.

Bob Hines - Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Air Force.

Warren Hoburg - assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics.

Dr. Jonny Kim - lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.

Jasmin Moghbeli - commander of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Loral O’Hara - master in aeronautics and astronautics

Dr. Francisco "Frank" Rubio - Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army.

Jessica Watkins - Collaborated on the rover at NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory, Curiosity.

Its diversity contrasts with the early years of space exploration, which was mostly composed of white men (including the 12 people who have walked on the Moon), until Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983 and Guion Bluford became the first black astronaut in the same year.