Pittsburgh Man Is 1 Of 12 Selected For NASA Astronaut Class
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- NASA has announced its new astronaut class, and one of the candidates is from Pittsburgh.
From more than 18,000 to 12 – NASA whittled down a record field of astronaut applicants to a small group of men and women. Right in the center of the photo is Warren "Woody" Hoburg.
"Definitely honored to be here and be one of the chosen," Hoburg said.
Hoburg was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and he's a graduate of North Allegheny High School.
"It was a great city to grow up in, and I'm still a big Steelers fan," he said.
NASA announced the new astronaut class this week. Vice President Mike Pence took part in the event at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
In August, Hoburg, along with the other 11 candidates, will report for duty. They'll work extensively on everything from flight training to space walk training.
"After the two years of training, we'll be qualified as astronauts," Hoburg said. "We will then be eligible to be selected for space flight."
At that point, Hoburg will likely take on a technical role in NASA, waiting for his chance to head to space. His chance to make a dream come true.
"What I imagine is that there is nothing that can really, really prepare you for what that would actually feel like, but it would be absolutely amazing, I think," he said. "My hope would be just that I don't get sick in those initial moments of weightlessness, but yeah, it would be truly amazing."
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