Sammamish woman selected as one of NASA’s 10 astronaut candidates

Lauren Edgar was in second grade the first time she realized her future might lie outside the earth’s atmosphere.

While attending Discovery Elementary School in Sammamish, Edgar went to watch the Discovery Space Shuttle launch.

“Going to the launch in person, realizing there were people on board and they were leaving this planet – it made me wonder what else is out there,” Edgar said in an interview Monday.

That formative experience, coupled with a love for geology and aviation and aerospace history in the area where she grew up, set Edgar on a path that culminated this week in something few ever get to experience: Getting selected as an astronaut for NASA.

Edgar, 40, is one of 10 people NASA has selected to join its 2025 astronaut candidate class. The selection process takes months and is highly competitive, with more than 8,000 applicants across the United States this year.

After graduating from Skyline High School in Sammamish, Edgar studied earth sciences at Dartmouth College. She received a master’s degree and a doctorate in geology from the California Institute of Technology, and worked at the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Astrogeology Science Center, where she studied the Earth, moon and Mars. Her work has supported human and robotic exploration of the solar system.

She has also done research for NASA, including as an investigator for the Artemis III Geology team. Her work for that team has helped NASA define lunar science goals and make plans for geology activities.

Edgar said while geology is not the most common background for astronauts, there have been many other notable geologist astronauts, including Jessica Watkins, a member of the 2017 astronaut candidate class who is a Mars scientist and geologist, and Harrison H. “Jack” Schmitt, an Apollo 17 astronaut.

Edgar will now enter a nearly two-year training program, where she and her colleagues will learn how to fly, practice spacewalks and learn the operations of the space station. They’ll also get other specialized instruction, including in geology, robotics and language training.

And while Edgar hasn’t had a chance to return to the Pacific Northwest since she got the news, she said she’s excited to come back and share the accomplishment when she gets the chance.

Her parents still live in the area, and she’s still in touch with many friends and mentors in Washington.

“Realizing the key role they played in my education – I just want to be able to thank everyone in person,” Edgar said.

Edgar said she’s excited to be getting this training at a “key time in human spaceflight.” A big reason humans explore space, she said, is to try and understand how the solar system formed and evolved, and the role humankind plays in it.

That includes asking big-picture science questions, like when and where life arose in the solar system, how humans can have a sustained presence working on another planet and trying to better understand Earth and prepare for things it might experience, Edgar said.

She said she’s looking forward to working with and learning from the other astronaut candidates, as well as drawing on her own experiences.

“It’s very clear that the role of an astronaut is the tip of a big spear. And you know you wouldn’t be here without all these other people that have contributed to this process,” she said. “So I think my previous NASA experience, working on the Mars Rover missions or contributing to the Artemis III science team has given me a really strong appreciation for everything it takes to be at this point in human spaceflight.”