Astronaut Group Patches
1959 Group 1 – "The Mercury Seven"
1962 Group 2 – "The New Nine"
1963 Group 3 – "The Fourteen"
1965 Group 4 – "The Scientists"
1966 Group 5 – "The Original 19"
1967 Group 6 – "The Excess Eleven (XS-11)"
1969 Group 7 – USAF MOL Transfer, no official nickname (Astronauts selected from the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program)
1978 Group 8 – "Thirty-Five New Guys (TFNG)" (class included first female candidates)
1980 Group 9 – "19+80"
1984 Group 10 – "The Maggots"
1985 Group 11 – no official nickname
1987 Group 12 – "The GAFFers"
1990 Group 13 – "The Hairballs"
1992 Group 14 – "The Hogs"
1994 Group 15 – "The Flying Escargot"
1996 Group 16 – "The Sardines" (largest class to date, 35 NASA candidates and nine international astronauts)
1998 Group 17 – "The Penguins"
2000 Group 18 – "The Bugs"
2004 Group 19 – "The Peacocks"
2009 Group 20 – "The Chumps"
2013 Group 21 – "The 8-Balls" (composed of four male and four female candidates; highest percentage of females)
2017 Group 22 – "The Turtles"
2022 Group 23 – "The Flies"
1962 Group 2 – "The New Nine"
1963 Group 3 – "The Fourteen"
1965 Group 4 – "The Scientists"
1966 Group 5 – "The Original 19"
1967 Group 6 – "The Excess Eleven (XS-11)"
1969 Group 7 – USAF MOL Transfer, no official nickname (Astronauts selected from the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program)
1978 Group 8 – "Thirty-Five New Guys (TFNG)" (class included first female candidates)
1980 Group 9 – "19+80"
1984 Group 10 – "The Maggots"
1985 Group 11 – no official nickname
1987 Group 12 – "The GAFFers"
1990 Group 13 – "The Hairballs"
1992 Group 14 – "The Hogs"
1994 Group 15 – "The Flying Escargot"
1996 Group 16 – "The Sardines" (largest class to date, 35 NASA candidates and nine international astronauts)
1998 Group 17 – "The Penguins"
2000 Group 18 – "The Bugs"
2004 Group 19 – "The Peacocks"
2009 Group 20 – "The Chumps"
2013 Group 21 – "The 8-Balls" (composed of four male and four female candidates; highest percentage of females)
2017 Group 22 – "The Turtles"
2022 Group 23 – "The Flies"
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