Vice President Mike Pence, center, listens to NASA Deputy Chief Flight Director Holly Ridings, right, and NASA Flight Director Rick Henfling during a tour of the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The Vice President was at the space center to welcome America’s newest astronaut candidates, chosen from more than 18,300 applicants to carry the torch for future human space exploration. After completing two years of training, the new astronaut candidates could be assigned to missions performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, and launching on deep space missions on NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

nhq201706070007 (06/07/2017) ---Vice President Mike Pence, center, listens to NASA Deputy Chief Flight Director Holly Ridings, right, and NASA Flight Director Rick Henfling during a tour of the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The Vice President was at the space center to welcome America’s newest astronaut candidates, chosen from more than 18,300 applicants to carry the torch for future human space exploration. After completing two years of training, the new astronaut candidates could be assigned to missions performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, and launching on deep space missions on NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Photographer NASA/Bill Ingalls

Date June 7, 2017

2017 Astronaut Class Holly Ridings Houston Mike Pence NASA Johnson Space Center Rick Henfling Texas U S Vice President