HOUSTON – NASA astronauts will soon launch on American rockets from American soil. That was the message Friday as the space agency announced the first NASA astronauts to fly on space vehicles owned by commercial companies.
In all, eight astronauts will be assigned to initial test flights and missions to the International Space Station.
In an auditorium full of cheering supporters, NASA introduced the crew members.
Four astronauts were selected for Boeing's Starliner, now under construction in Florida, and four astronauts were selected for Space X Crew Dragon. Boeing also announced its own astronaut, a NASA veteran who retired from the space agency and went to work for Boeing.
Since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011, the U.S. astronauts have hitched rides with the Russians to get to the International Space Station, but soon, Americans will again have their own way.
For three of the crew members, it will be their first spaceflight, including Nicole Mann, a California native and lieutenant in the Marine Corps.
"It's absolutely the opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn't be more excited to join the NASA Boeing team. To be involved in the test and development and to be there on launch day and to experience the results of all of that hard work," Mann said. "It's going to be a proud moment for the team. It's going to be a proud moment for America. I'm just grateful to be able to usher in this new era of American space flight."
The crew members will soon start their training before their first test flights.
Meet the new guys on the space block:
Boeing Starliner Test Flight
1. Eric Boe
2. Christopher Ferguson
3. Nicole Aunapu Mann - first trip to space
"What we really see now is (a) much greater emphasis on safety. We're returning to a full capability ascent abort system to keep astronauts safe all the way through the profile. And that's something the shuttle didn't have," Ferguson said.
Starliner First Mission
4. Josh Cassada - first trip to space
5. Sunita Williams
"Being able to launch to the ISS from US soil, I can't imagine a better honor. And we're ready," Cassada said.
"That's (going to) help all of us understand a little more about how we live and work in space. And furthermore for our next program Orion and SLS. There's a lot to be done and we're just the beginning," Williams said.
Space X Dragon Test Flight
6. Robert Behnken
7. Douglas Hurley
Space X Dragon First Mission
8. Victor Glover - first trip to space
9. Michael Hopkins
"First and foremost I'm just thankful to God and to my family. And to our leadership to be able to work for NASA. Period. And to work and live in space is just a humbling and amazing blessing in and of itself," Glover said.