The US space agency announced the appointment of eight new astronauts on Monday, and a record half of NASA's first astronaut class since 2009 are women.
The astronauts will earn between $64,000 and $141,000 per year, and will be part of the team that lays the groundwork for NASA missions to an asteroid in the 2020s and to Mars in the 2030s, NASA administrator Charles Bolden said.
"This new class will be among those who have the opportunity to plan and carry out these exciting missions," said Bolden in a video message on the NASA website.
The eight were chosen from the second largest pool of applications ever received -- over 6,100 -- NASA said.
Among them are Nicole Aunapu Mann, 35, a Marine Corps major and F/A 18 pilot; and Anne McClain, 34, a major in the US Army and OH-58 helicopter pilot.
The others are Jessica Meir, 35, an assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Christina Hammock, 34, who is National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Station Chief in American Samoa.
The male astronaut candidates are former naval aviator Josh Cassada, 39; Navy lieutenant commander and F/A 18 pilot Victor Glover, 37; Tyler Hague, 37, a US Air Force colonel working to tackle improvised explosive devices; and Andrew Morgan, 37, an army major and physician of emergency medicine.
The last class announced in 2009 included three women. The group of astronauts named in 1998 also included four women, but out of a larger hired group of 25.
据法新社6月18日报道，美国航天局（NASA）17日宣布选出8名新航天员，其中4人为女性。
美国航天局局长查尔斯·博尔登称，这些航天员的年薪将在6.4万美元到14.1万美元之间，他们将参与NASA本世纪20年代登陆小行星和本世纪30年代登陆火星的准备工作。
“这批新航天员将有机会参与策划和执行这些激动人心的任务。”博尔登在NASA网站的视频中说道。
NASA称，这8人是从6100多人中遴选而出的。
四名女航天员分别是：35岁的海军陆战队 少校、F/A 18战斗机飞行员妮科尔·奥纳普·曼恩；34岁的美国陆军少校、OH-58直升机飞行员安妮·麦克莱恩；35岁的哈佛医学院麻醉学助理教授杰茜卡·迈 尔；34岁的美国国家海洋与大气管理局美属萨摩亚站站长克里斯蒂娜·哈莫克。
四名男航天员分别是：39岁的前海军飞行员乔希·卡萨迪；37岁的海军少校、F/A 18飞行员维克托·格罗弗；37岁的美国空军上校泰勒·阿格，主要处理简易爆炸装置；37岁的陆军少校安德鲁·摩根，是一名急诊医师。
上一批航天员产生于2009年，有3名女性入选。1998年航天员团队也有4名女性，但当时被录取的人数共计25人。