The astronaut candidates, or "ascans," were selected from more than 6,100 applications, the second-largest pool of applicants in NASA history. Of that total, 120 were invited to the Johnson Space Center for initial interviews and medical exams.
Forty nine of those were asked to come back for follow-on interviews and more detailed physical exams. The eight men and women eventually selected reported to the Johnson Space Center last week to begin training.
Asked to describe the interview and selection process, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Victor Glover, a 37-year-old F/A-18 jet pilot with multiple advanced degrees, said "there was a lot of writing involved."
"The one that stands out the most is we were asked to compose a tweet, a limerick or a haiku," he said. "And I did a limerick, and it goes:
"Eyes fixed, gazing off into space
"My mind in awe of the human race
"This is all dizzying to me
"Because I gave so much blood and pee;
"Happy to be here (at) the colonoscopy place.
"And that's funny if you had to go through this interview process, specifically the medical portion," he joked.