‘Best and Brightest:' TCU grad and Little Elm test pilot named NASA astronaut candidates

NASA introduced its newest astronaut candidates Monday, 10 scientists, engineers and test pilots chosen from more than 8,000 applicants to help explore the moon and possibly Mars.

For the first time, there were more women than men in an incoming astronaut class, two of whom have ties to North Texas. The new astronaut candidates include engineer and pilot Rebecca “Becky” Lawler, of Little Elm, and TCU graduate Anna Menon, of Houston.

Lawler, 38, most recently was a test pilot for United Airlines, but she was formerly a lieutenant commander in the Navy and logged more than 2,800 hours in more than 45 different aircraft. She earned her bachelor’s in mechanical engineering at the U.S. Naval Academy and is a U.S. Naval Test Pilot School graduate. She’s got master’s degrees in space systems en