For The First Time Ever, Women Outnumber Men in Nasa’s Astronaut Class

It is incredibly challenging to be chosen to attend NASA's astronaut class. In fact, out of 8,000 applicants, the New York Times notes that only 10 people were selected for the elite position. Not only are the seats limited in the class, but the selection process only happens every few years, further limiting the number of people who will get to follow their dreams to travel into space with some of the smartest minds in the world.

NASA introduced its most recent crop of astronaut candidates on Sept. 20, celebrating the 10 people who made the cut after years of trying. One thing stood out as everyone gathered together on stage to celebrate this amazing achievement: for the first time ever, women outnumbered men.

This is not only an exciting prospect for the future of the program, but experts say that chances are high that one of these candidates will boldly go where no other wo(man) has gone before: Mars.

NASA celebrated the new generation of astronauts, introducing each of them to the people gathered at the Sept. 22 ceremony, which included female astronauts Lauren Edgar, Rebecca Lawler, Anna Menon, Dr. Imelda Muller, Erin Overcash, and Katherine Spies. Each of them brings a little something extra to the table, including Menon who has already traveled in low-Earth orbit as part of her role with SpaceX.

In addition to Menon's credentials, four of the six women have served in the military.

Overcash did so as a Navy pilot, according to the New York Times, and Muller served as a Navy lieutenant. Of course, just because these people have been chosen to attend the astronaut class, it doesn't mean they'll end up making it to space. Right now, they are considered astronaut candidates, and they will undergo rigorous training to take the next steps in their careers.

Whether that career actually takes them to the moon, or beyond, will depend on a variety of factors, including funding.

With the most common destination for NASA's astronauts listed as the International Space Station (ISS), it seems a safe bet that many of these candidates will get a chance to stay there. However, the ISS is set to be decommissioned in 2030, so they will likely spend more time at other facilities that are still being worked on.

Additionally, NASA has announced plans to create an outpost located within the moon's orbit called Gateway, which could be another landing spot for some of these folks.

However, the most appealing destination may be the one that they don't know how to get to yet.

“One of these 10 could actually be one of the first Americans to put their boots on the Mars surface, which is very, very cool,” acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy shared during the ceremony. That would be quite the feather in the cap for any astronaut, but for this history making group, it could be historic for a whole new reason.