NASA Astronaut Lauren Edgar

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NASA Astronaut Lauren Edgar

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NASA Astronaut Candidate Group 24
Geologist

10/09/2026

In September we completed a fantastic training trip with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. It was a great chance to practice different leadership styles, decision-making strategies, communication, and navigation, while living and working in small teams in a remote environment. In addition to our amazing NOLS instructors, we also had the opportunity to work with other members of NASA’s Flight Operations Directorate. We enjoyed the challenging terrain, gorgeous scenery, and some really cool geology along the way!

It was also really special to celebrate the one year anniversary of starting our journey as astronaut candidates, with a satellite phone call from the International Space Station and summiting Wind River Peak that day! So grateful to be on this expedition with some truly awesome people.

Photo credit to Zena Cardman and others - thanks for bringing your cameras along to capture these great memories!

08/20/2026

Had a great first flight in the T-38 today!

NASA uses T-38 jets to train astronauts in many skills that are directly applicable to spaceflight. Working in a high consequence environment, rapid decision making, crew resource management, and operating communication and navigation systems are all part of the training.

We have a great team of instructors and ground personnel who make this all possible. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do this and can’t wait to continue to develop these skills!

08/06/2026

Aviation is an essential part of preparation for spaceflight. For the past couple of months, those of us who came in with less flying experience (or in my case, zero aviation experience!) have been going through flight training with LIFT Academy in Galveston. I’ve always wanted to learn how to fly, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do this now. From my first flight, to my first solo, to instrument training and beyond, it has been such a joy to gain this skillset. Special shoutout to our fantastic instructors at LIFT who have given us a great foundation in aviation. Next up: T-38 training!

06/08/2026

Our class recently completed a couple of weeks of geology training, which culminated in a field mapping exercise in the beautiful Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. This trip was really special for me - I served as one of the geology instructors prior to being selected as an astronaut candidate, so it was wonderful to see my classmates experience geology for the first time while learning from some of my dear friends and colleagues. The volcanic, sedimentary, and tectonic history of this region made for an excellent outdoor classroom, and brought together colleagues from across NASA, U.S Geological Survey, University of Texas at El Paso, New Mexico Bureau of Geology, and Bureau of Land Management. Some of our UAE astronauts also joined in the training, which was a great way to connect over our shared exploration goals. The skills we learned will be helpful for making observations of the Earth from the and hopefully exploring other planetary surfaces someday through the program. I left the field feeling so inspired for everything to come!

05/08/2026

Water Survival is another important part of our training, prior to flying in T-38 jets. We recently completed our initial Naval Aviation Survival Training Program, which taught us essential skills including ejection seat use, parachute use, aviation life support systems, survival swimming, various rafts and recovery techniques, and underwater egress skills from the dunker. Hopefully we will never have to use these skills, but it was a great foundation as we start our aviation training. Many thanks to our instructors and hosts at Naval Air Station Pensacola!

05/03/2026

Part of my recent training involved a trip to Montreal to work with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). We learned how to use the robotic arm onboard the ISS to support Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), move payloads, and capture visiting vehicles. While we were learning these skills on Earth, it was really great to see our friends on the ISS put these skills to use at the same time! Huge shoutout to our robotics instructors at Canadian Space Agency and NASA's Johnson Space Center for the wonderful training program. And it was really helpful to see life size models of the and other parts of the Mobile Servicing System, along with the great work being done by our partners and hosts at CSA!

04/18/2026

I'm still in awe. It has been such an amazing and inspiring couple of weeks at NASA following the success of the Artemis II mission. One of my favorite moments was getting to see the through the eyes of the crew, along with the flight control team, and so many others around the world. I'm thrilled for my friends and colleagues who have worked incredibly hard to make this all happen, and thankful to Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy for bringing the Moon a little closer.

It was also really special to welcome the crew back to NASA's Johnson Space Center after they landed at Ellington Field, including the ringing of the bell from the USS Ticonderoga (which welcomed home the Apollo 17 crew). I'm grateful to have shared this moment with my classmates, and I know we have a lot to learn from those who have come before us.

Congratulations to the entire Artemis II team - and thank you for laying the groundwork for more exciting exploration to come!

01/19/2026

Rolling in to 2026 at top speed…

I’ve spent the last 18 years working with rovers on Mars, but it’s certainly a different feeling to be the one behind the wheel. We recently had the opportunity to test out some engineering models for the Lunar Terrain Vehicle and Pressurized Rover, which will help astronauts operate on the Moon during future Artemis missions. It was exciting to see these very capable vehicles handling some challenging terrain in the JSC Rock Yard and to learn from the engineering teams who are helping to develop them. Full speed ahead!

11/25/2025

What have we been up to lately? Surviving! Our class recently returned from Land Survival training at Fort Rucker, in Alabama. While we hope we never have to use these skills, it's helpful to know the basic skills to survive if ever needed. We learned a lot about land navigation, building fires and shelters, wilderness medicine, how to identify native plants and insects, manage resources like food and water, and signaling for rescue. We put those skills to the test in a culminating exercise, and really bonded as a team throughout the week.
Thanks to the amazing instructors at the Army SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) school for showing us the ropes and sharing their incredible expertise, and to our NASA and JAXA colleagues for an unforgettable experience!

Address

Cerro, NM

Website

http://NASA.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-candidate-lauren-a-edgar/

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