The group included two candidates from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), which has participated in a joint training program with the United States since 1983. "They are the best of the best: They are highly qualified and very diverse, and they represent all of the US," said Nasa Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The group, known as the "Turtles," wore blue flight jumpsuits and took turns approaching the podium to receive their silver astronaut pins, as their fellow classmates paid tribute to their character in the first-ever public graduation ceremony. Part of the group's training therefore included studying the building blocks of that program, which are still being developed: the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion crew capsule and the gateway space station. But Nasa has already said that the crew of the first return Moon mission, Artemis 3, will be selected from previous graduates.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 13, 2020 13:52 UTC