HOUSTON – Training is underway for NASA’s new astronaut class, in which 12 candidates are set to join the space agency.
On day two, they started with media interviews and spoke with their counterparts at the international space station.
For one Clements High School graduate, it was a dream come true to get a phone call from the space station.
“I got off the phone called everyone in my family. There was some tears. It was really amazing,” said O'Hara.
She said it’s something she will never forget.
“This has been my dream since I was a little kid growing up in Missouri City and Sugar Land. I got to go to Johnson a lot,” O’Hara said.
O'Hara and her classmates had the chance to ask those who have trained before them about what's ahead.
An aerospace engineer who previously worked on deep sea vehicles, O'Hara turned out to have the perfect background for an astronaut in training.
“It's kind of similar work. You are working with a small group, in a confined space in a research vessel with limited tools. I think that was a big part of what helped me get here,” the space engineer said.
Those who finish the two-year training will be astronauts. After that, you could say the sky's the limit, but members of this class said they are ready to go beyond.
“We're all excited to explore another planet, going to the moon or Mars. The space station is really important; I'd be thrilled to go to space station, too,” O’Hara said.
The class will learn about the space station, space walking and orbital vehicles of the future such as Space X and Dragon 2.