Astronauts and Explorers

Former USGS Geologist Lauren Edgar Selected As A NASA Astronaut Candidate

By Keith Cowing
Status Report
USGS
September 24, 2025
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Former USGS Geologist Lauren Edgar Selected As A NASA Astronaut Candidate
Lauren Edgar uses a hand lens to identify minerals in a sample from a complex esker in Iceland. Credit: USGS

Meet Lauren Edgar, once a geologist studying the Earth, Moon, and Mars, now one of NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s newest astronaut candidates!

Before joining NASA, Lauren Edgar was a research geologist at our USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, AZ, where she studied the Earth, Moon, and Mars.

She led the Terrestrial Analogs for Research and Geologic Exploration Training (TARGET) program at the USGS, training scientists and astronauts in extreme places like Iceland, Arizona, New Mexico, and Antarctica to prepare for future Moon and Mars missions.

Lauren has 17+ years of experience supporting Mars rover missions, defining science goals for NASA’s Artemis III mission, and training astronauts and engineers for geology in space.

Join us in congratulating Lauren Edgar on becoming part of NASA’s 2025 Astronaut Candidate Class!

Astrobiology, Astrogeology,

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻