Two MOAA members will be among the 10 NASA recruits set to begin astronaut training in January.

Maj. Marcos Berríos, USAF, and Lt. Cmdr. Jessica Wittner, USN, join a military-heavy field of candidates who could be a part of planned missions to the moon and Mars in coming years.

Berríos, 37, has 110 combat missions and 1,300 hours of flight time in more than 21 airframes, per his NASA bio. The Puerto Rico native served as a test pilot and deployed to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, as well as the Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

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Wittner, 38, also worked as a test pilot after securing her commission via an enlisted-to-officer program. She served as a department head with the Vigilantes of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 at the time of her selection.

“I think initially when you get the phone call, it’s instantly shocking,” Wittner told YourCentralValley.com – a news outlet covering her hometown of Clovis, Calif. “I had to pinch myself a couple of times.”

In addition to Berríos and Wittner, six other recruits are or have been in uniformed service:

• Maj. Nichole Ayers, USAF
• Lt. Deniz Burnham, USNR
• Maj. Luke Delaney, USMC (Ret)
• Andre Douglas, former Coast Guard officer and on track to be the third astronaut to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy.
• Cmdr. Jack Hathaway, USN
• Lt. Col. Anil Menon, USAF

More than 12,000 people from all 50 states applied for consideration.

MOAA members have made recent space-travel news: Col. Shane Kimbrough, USA (Ret), splashed down off the Florida coast Nov. 8 after spending nearly 200 days in orbit, and Col. Doug Hurley, USMC (Ret), who commanded the first crewed SpaceX launch in 2020, announced his retirement from NASA in July.