US space agency NASA is seeking new astronauts as the latest batch of space explorers is now ready for possible missions to the moon and Mars.
NASA on Tuesday celebrated the completion of training for 10 US citizens - four women and six men - as well as a female and a male astronaut from the United Arab Emirates with a gala in Houston, Texas.
Some 12,000 people responded to a call for aspiring astronauts in 2020, according to NASA. Among the requirements, candidates needed to be US citizens and hold a master's degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
The 10 Americans, aged between 32 and 45 at the time, were selected from the 12,000 applications while the two UAE candidates were added later.
Anyone wishing to join them can still apply for the next NASA training course until April 2.
"With NASA's plans for the future of exploration, new astronauts will fly farther into space than ever before on lunar missions and may be the first humans to fly on to Mars," the space agency said in its recruitment ad.
In total, NASA has selected around 360 astronauts in its history, with about 50 of them currently active.
