Posted: Tue, Jun 18, 2013, 8:02 AM ET (1202 GMT)
NASA announced on Monday a new class of eight astronauts, half of whom are women. The eight people announced Monday were selected from a pool of more than 6,000 applicants, the second largest number of applications for an astronaut selection round in NASA's history. The new class is also the first to have a 50-50 ratio of men and women. Five of the eight are currently serving in the military, and two of the eight have doctorates. The eight will start two years of training in August.

Related Links:

•  Florida Today article
•  AP article
•  SPACE.com article
•  collectSPACE article
•  NASA press release