Little Elm woman selected as NASA astronaut candidate

Little Elm woman is one of NASA's astronaut candidates

A woman from Little Elm is one of ten people picked to be a new astronaut candidate by NASA.

LITTLE ELM, Texas - A woman from North Texas is fulfilling a lifelong dream. She was just picked as an astronaut candidate for NASA.

Little Elm Astronaut

What we know:

The NASA selection process is so selective that it’s taken Rebecca Lawler three tries to get this close to her dream.

Astronaut candidates are scientists, engineers, and test pilots chosen from a pool of more than 8,000 applicants.

At 38, Lawler is a former Navy pilot and has most recently worked as a test pilot for United Airlines. She has nearly 3,000 flight hours in more than 45 aircraft. 

When she got the call about being accepted as an astronaut candidate, she had to keep the news secret from all her family and friends.

Now, she gets to share the story that’s been 10 years in the making.

What they're saying:

"I feel a huge, a great deal of responsibility because being an astronaut means it just, I’m responsible for the mission for all the people that work for NASA, for all the people in this country that are depending on us. It’s just this huge, awesome amount of responsibility that I can’t wait to do the mission and make them proud,"Lawler said.

Dig deeper:

There’s one other candidate on Lawler’s team with North Texas ties.

Anna Menon, a 39-year-old from Houston, attended TCU.

Menon previously worked in the mission control center for NASA and flew to space last year on the Polaris Dawn Mission. 

What's next:

All of the candidates will have two years of training before they are eligible for spaceflight.

It will be two years of flying, team bonding, high-risk decision-making, and, of course, getting comfortable with the space suits.