SEE NASA SHOCKING TEAM TRAVELING TO OUTER SPACE THIS YEAR
More than 18,300 hopefuls applied to become NASA astronauts over a year ago.
Now the agency has unveiled its final dozen candidates who could go into space one day.
The seven men and five women include some with a background in medicine while others come from the US military.
In the class of 2017, there are doctors, scientists, engineers and pilots, and two were interns at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory - a research centre in California.
The dozen, who are aged 29 to 42, have worked in submarines, hospitals, university lecture halls, cockpits and battleships.
They were chosen after the largest number of applications to NASA - more than double the previous record of 8,000 set in 1978.
NASA's acting administrator, Robert Lightfoot, said: "It makes me personally feel very inadequate when you read what these folks have done."
After two years of training, the new recruits may end up flying commercial rockets to the International Space Station, or flying beyond the moon in NASA's Orion spacecraft.
Their ultimate destination could be Mars.
SpaceX and Boeing are building capsules capable of carrying astronauts to the space station and back as soon as next year.
Robb Kulin, a launch engineer and senior manager for SpaceX, is among the new astronauts.
He has also been an ice driller in Antarctica and a fisherman in Alaska.
"Hopefully, one day, I actually fly on a vehicle that... I got to design," Mr Kulin said.
But he and his classmates may have to wait a while. Some members of the class of 2009 have yet to go into space.
Dr Jonny Kim, a former Navy SEAL and specialist in emergency medicine, told reporters it "may be a little unclear" what the future holds in relation to what spacecraft he and his fellow astronauts might fly.
"We're just happy to be here," he added.
It is NASA's 22nd group of astronauts. The first group, the original Mercury 7 astronauts, was chosen in 1959.
A total of 350 Americans have now been selected.
To be eligible, you need to have US citizenship and degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
Flying experience is not a requirement but you need at least three years of professional related experience, or 1,000 hours of piloting jets.
The new recruits, who join 44 astronauts already in training, were unveiled as US Vice President Mike Pence vowed to bring in a new era of space exploration.
The shuttle programme ended in 2011 in the wake of two disasters and concerns about financial costs - but the Trump administration has said it is committed to space discovery.
Mr Pence, who met the new astronauts in Houston, said: "Under the leadership of President Donald Trump the United States will usher in a new era of space exploration that will benefit every facet of our national life.
"It will strengthen our national security and the safety of the American people. It will strengthen our economy as we unlock new opportunities and new sources of prosperity.
"It will strengthen education in inspiring a rising generation of Americans to science, technology, engineering and math."
Now the agency has unveiled its final dozen candidates who could go into space one day.
The seven men and five women include some with a background in medicine while others come from the US military.
In the class of 2017, there are doctors, scientists, engineers and pilots, and two were interns at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory - a research centre in California.
The dozen, who are aged 29 to 42, have worked in submarines, hospitals, university lecture halls, cockpits and battleships.
They were chosen after the largest number of applications to NASA - more than double the previous record of 8,000 set in 1978.
NASA's acting administrator, Robert Lightfoot, said: "It makes me personally feel very inadequate when you read what these folks have done."
After two years of training, the new recruits may end up flying commercial rockets to the International Space Station, or flying beyond the moon in NASA's Orion spacecraft.
Their ultimate destination could be Mars.
SpaceX and Boeing are building capsules capable of carrying astronauts to the space station and back as soon as next year.
Robb Kulin, a launch engineer and senior manager for SpaceX, is among the new astronauts.
He has also been an ice driller in Antarctica and a fisherman in Alaska.
"Hopefully, one day, I actually fly on a vehicle that... I got to design," Mr Kulin said.
But he and his classmates may have to wait a while. Some members of the class of 2009 have yet to go into space.
Dr Jonny Kim, a former Navy SEAL and specialist in emergency medicine, told reporters it "may be a little unclear" what the future holds in relation to what spacecraft he and his fellow astronauts might fly.
"We're just happy to be here," he added.
It is NASA's 22nd group of astronauts. The first group, the original Mercury 7 astronauts, was chosen in 1959.
A total of 350 Americans have now been selected.
To be eligible, you need to have US citizenship and degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
Flying experience is not a requirement but you need at least three years of professional related experience, or 1,000 hours of piloting jets.
The new recruits, who join 44 astronauts already in training, were unveiled as US Vice President Mike Pence vowed to bring in a new era of space exploration.
The shuttle programme ended in 2011 in the wake of two disasters and concerns about financial costs - but the Trump administration has said it is committed to space discovery.
Mr Pence, who met the new astronauts in Houston, said: "Under the leadership of President Donald Trump the United States will usher in a new era of space exploration that will benefit every facet of our national life.
"It will strengthen our national security and the safety of the American people. It will strengthen our economy as we unlock new opportunities and new sources of prosperity.
"It will strengthen education in inspiring a rising generation of Americans to science, technology, engineering and math."
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