ASTRONAUT CLASS OF 1998 REPORTS FOR DUTY



August 19, 1998



Doug Peterson
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(281/483-5111)

<h4>Release: J98-35</h4> <h3>Astronaut Class of 1998 Reports For 
Duty</h3> 

The Astronaut class of 1998 arrives at the Johnson Space Center August 
24 to begin its training and evaluation for future assignments on 
Shuttle and International Space Station missions.



Class members will be welcomed to the Johnson Space Center and will 
participate in a ceremony scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. CDT. They will 
be available for a photo opportunity with members of the news media, 
who will also be able to conduct brief interviews with the astronaut 
candidates following the ceremony. The event will be broadcast live 
on NASA Television.



The Astronaut Candidates were selected through a highly competitive 
process which evaluated their education, training, experience and 
unique qualifications. Of the thousands of applicants with basic 
qualifications, about 100 were selected for personal interviews 
leading to the final selection of 25.



The 1998 class includes 8 pilots and 17 mission specialists and 
includes members from each branch of the armed services, private 
industry, and academia. They will be joined by several members of the 
international partners&rsquo; astronaut corps.



During their training, the astronaut candidates will receive 
orientation briefings and tours, as well as numerous scientific and 
technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and 
International Space Station systems, and physiological training to 
prepare them for flights in T-38 jet trainers. The astronaut 
candidates will also receive technical assignments with the Astronaut 
Office before being assigned to a space flight.



Media interested in attending the welcoming ceremony or interviewing 
any members of the class, should contact Doug Peterson no later than 
5 p.m. CDT August 20 at (281) 483-5111. NASA Television is available 
on GE Spacenet 2, Transponder 9C, located at 85 degrees West 
Longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 Mhz, audio 
of 6.8 Mhz.



For more information about the individual astronaut candidates, or any 
astronaut, see the NASA Internet biography home page at URL: 
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/

	
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