NASA Selects Four Astronauts for Historic Moon Mission in Five Decades
In a historic announcement, NASA has revealed the names of its first crewed mission astronauts to the moon since 1972. The four astronauts who will embark on the Artemis II lunar flyby are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
The crew members were selected from a pool of highly skilled individuals after undergoing rigorous training and evaluation. Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission. He has previously completed one spaceflight to the International Space Station in 2014.
Glover, another naval aviator with extensive experience, piloted the second crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and spent nearly six months aboard the ISS. Koch is a veteran of six spacewalks and holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, totaling 328 days in space.
Hansen, a fighter pilot from Canada, is set to become the first Canadian to travel to deep space. He has recently been appointed as the leader of training for NASA's astronaut corps.
The Artemis II mission will build on the success of its uncrewed predecessor, Artemis I, which successfully sent NASA's Orion capsule on a 1.4 million-mile journey around the moon. The crew members will launch atop a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and embark on a 10-day journey beyond the moon.
Once they reach their destination, the crew will perform scientific experiments and test the capabilities of their spacecraft before returning to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean. The mission is expected to pave the way for NASA's Artemis III mission later this decade, which aims to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The diversity of the Artemis II crew has been highlighted as one of its key strengths, marking a significant shift away from historic missions dominated by White male test pilots. The astronauts are expected to share their experiences in an upcoming interview with CNN's "This Morning" starting at 6 am ET on Tuesday.
In a historic announcement, NASA has revealed the names of its first crewed mission astronauts to the moon since 1972. The four astronauts who will embark on the Artemis II lunar flyby are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen.
The crew members were selected from a pool of highly skilled individuals after undergoing rigorous training and evaluation. Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission. He has previously completed one spaceflight to the International Space Station in 2014.
Glover, another naval aviator with extensive experience, piloted the second crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and spent nearly six months aboard the ISS. Koch is a veteran of six spacewalks and holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, totaling 328 days in space.
Hansen, a fighter pilot from Canada, is set to become the first Canadian to travel to deep space. He has recently been appointed as the leader of training for NASA's astronaut corps.
The Artemis II mission will build on the success of its uncrewed predecessor, Artemis I, which successfully sent NASA's Orion capsule on a 1.4 million-mile journey around the moon. The crew members will launch atop a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and embark on a 10-day journey beyond the moon.
Once they reach their destination, the crew will perform scientific experiments and test the capabilities of their spacecraft before returning to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean. The mission is expected to pave the way for NASA's Artemis III mission later this decade, which aims to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The diversity of the Artemis II crew has been highlighted as one of its key strengths, marking a significant shift away from historic missions dominated by White male test pilots. The astronauts are expected to share their experiences in an upcoming interview with CNN's "This Morning" starting at 6 am ET on Tuesday.
!! four ppl gonna go back to the moon in like five decades?! Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are literally my heroes 
they gotta be super smart and fit to even get picked for this mission 
i'm low-key nervous for them too lol what if somethin goes wrong on their 10-day journey? 
but its also so awesome that there's a diverse crew this time, yaaas more women and ppl of color in space 
Christina Koch is literally my idol bc she holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman 
and Jeremy Hansen is gonna make Canada proud 
Can't believe NASA is finally back on track for a manned mission to the moon in like, 5 decades?! 
Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are going to be the first crewed team to set foot on lunar soil since 1972! That's some serious history-making stuff right there! 
And did you see the diversity of this crew? 
Reid, a naval aviator with test pilot experience, Victor, who flew the Crew Dragon, Christina, a spacewalk queen, and Jeremy, our first Canadian astronaut in deep space... they're all total rockstars! 
and I gotta say, it's kinda cool that they've finally got a mix of people from different backgrounds 
Reid Wiseman as commander makes sense since he has experience flying planes... how's that going to translate to space? 
Also, Christina Koch is like whoa! 328 days in space is insane! 
! NASA is doing an incredible job bringing us closer to having humans live and work on the moon again 
its not just about the tech or the mission, but also about representation and breaking down barriers 
it sets an awesome precedent for future missions and we should be hyped about it 
And let's not forget Jeremy Hansen becoming the first Canadian to travel to deep space - Canada needs some serious rep 
I'm stoked about this, it's amazing that we're finally seeing a diverse crew for this historic mission 
! Reid Wiseman is gonna make an awesome commander, I love his naval aviator background 
. Christina Koch's spacewalk skills are insane, she's basically a space ninja 
. And Jeremy Hansen as our Canadian crew member? That's awesome! It'll be rad to see him break barriers in deep space 
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. We need more of these kinda missions that push boundaries and expand our knowledge 
. The fact that we're already thinking about Artemis III with a crew that's all about representation is just incredible