And then there were 40 ...

NASA has selected all 40 applicants for the second round of interviews. These people are considered "finalists" and are within the top 1% of all 3,535 applicants. Although I had previously reported that the 40 would interview in two groups of 20, there are actually four groups of 10 instead. The first two groups have already completed their second interviews with NASA over the past two weeks, and the remaining two groups are set to be at JSC the weeks of February 22 and March 8.

The second interview week contains of a series in-depth medical exams such as a colonoscopy, MRI, and full blood work. Since this year's candidates are likely to serve long-duration missions on the ISS, there may be more medical tests this year compared to past selections.

I don't know exactly what else transpires during the second interview week, but I'm sure there is further psychological testing and a second sit-down "interview" with the selection board.

Good luck to the finalists who made it this far!

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