{"id":278773,"date":"2026-02-07T09:50:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T09:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/278773\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T09:50:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T09:50:24","slug":"time-for-kids-space-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/278773\/","title":{"rendered":"TIME for Kids | Space School"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If you traveled to space tomorrow, what skills would you need? You\u2019d need to know how to operate your spacecraft. You\u2019d need to know how to stay healthy in orbit. You\u2019d need to know how to conduct a spacewalk. <\/p>\n<p>NASA astronauts learn these skills and others during the agency\u2019s Astronaut Candidate<\/p>\n<p>                                    \u00d7<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tcandidate<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta person who is trying to get elected to office or chosen for a position<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(noun)<\/p>\n<p>                             Program, a two-year course designed to train new recruits. In September, the agency welcomed 10 newcomers. They\u2019ll spend the next two years learning what it takes to travel to space.&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Future Astronauts<\/p>\n<p>NASA announced the new candidates on September 22. They were recognized with a ceremony held at the Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas. Sean Duffy, the acting NASA administrator at the time of the announcement, spoke at the ceremony. The new candidates prove \u201cthere is no limit to what a determined dreamer can achieve,\u201d Duffy said. \u201cEven going to space.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These candidates are part of an elite group. Since 1959, NASA has selected just 370 astronauts from thousands of applicants. (See \u201cHelp Wanted.\u201d) In his speech, Duffy noted that more than 8,000 people applied for the 10 spots in the 2025 program. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/G3G5_260213_lets_roll.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"A group of people stand beside a large NASA rover vehicle in a rocky desert area, with American flags displayed.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"caption\">LET\u2019S ROLL At the Johnson Space Center, the candidates learn to drive lunar rovers, which will be used in space.<\/p>\n<p>COURTESY NASA<\/p>\n<p>The candidates come from different backgrounds. Some, like Adam Fuhrmann, have served in the military. Fuhrmann is a major in the United States Air Force. Others, like Lauren Edgar, are scientists. Edgar is a geologist<\/p>\n<p>                                    \u00d7<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tgeologist<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ta scientist who studies the Earth\u2019s materials, such as rocks, minerals, and soil<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t(noun)<\/p>\n<p>                            .&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca Lawler, another of the newcomers, is an experienced pilot. She served as a lieutenant commander in the United States Navy, logging more than 2,800 hours in more than 45 aircraft. She even spent time as a hurricane hunter with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, flying into hurricanes to help scientists gather storm data. As an astronaut candidate, she\u2019s learning a whole new set of skills.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/G3G5_260213_test_drive.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"Two people sit inside a large NASA rover vehicle with wide wheels as it drives over rocky ground under a blue sky.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"caption\">TEST DRIVE Candidates Rebecca Lawler (left) and Lauren Edgar drive a lunar rover at the Johnson Space Center.<\/p>\n<p>COURTESY NASA<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe training is really fun,\u201d Lawler told TFK Kid Reporter Hanming Wang. \u201cI\u2019m studying as hard as I can. I\u2019m going to take this moment and learn everything I can.\u201d&#13;<\/p>\n<p>Training for Takeoff<\/p>\n<p>Robotics and geology are among the subjects Lawler and her classmates are studying. They\u2019re also learning practical skills such as medicine and survival techniques. They\u2019ll conduct simulated spacewalks and learn to fly jets, and they\u2019ll learn ways to communicate with other astronauts. Lawler, for example, is studying Russian, in case she ever needs to work with cosmonauts.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/G3G5_260213_new_skills.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"A group of people wearing camouflage uniforms stand together in a forest, smiling beside a small shelter made of branches.\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"caption\">NEW SKILLS The crew practices survival skills in Fort Rucker, Alabama.<\/p>\n<p>COURTESY NASA<\/p>\n<p>After graduation, the 2025 class will join NASA\u2019s astronaut corps. Their assignments might include conducting research aboard the International Space Station. They could walk on the moon. It\u2019s not impossible that they\u2019ll travel to Mars. \u201cGrowing up as a kid in north Texas, I was always interested in watching aircraft fly overhead,\u201d says Lawler. Soon, she may be soaring out of sight.<\/p>\n<p>Help Wanted<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/G3G5_260213_help_wanted.jpg\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt=\"Several people float inside an airplane cabin during a zero-gravity flight, wearing jumpsuits as they practice moving in midair.\"\/>COURTESY NASA<\/p>\n<p>Anyone can apply for the NASA astronaut candidate program. NASA posts the application form online. As with other jobs, there are requirements: Applicants must be healthy. They must have a master\u2019s degree in a STEM field, such as engineering, plus three years of professional experience. NASA also looks for \u201cskills in leadership, teamwork, and communications.\u201d&#13;<\/p>\n<p>NASA hires new candidates roughly every four years. Would you like to apply someday?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you traveled to space tomorrow, what skills would you need? You\u2019d need to know how to operate&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278774,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[85,46,141,145],"class_list":["post-278773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}