NASA
NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence on the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis.
The crew consists of Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover, as well as two Mission Specialists, Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
NASA says they will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during the flight test.
Within the next week, the Artemis II flight test will launch on the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, proving the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and will validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.
The flight, set to build upon the successful uncrewed Artemis 1 mission completed in December, will set the stage for the first woman and first person of colour on the Moon through the Artemis program, paving the way for future long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars.
This is the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.
NASA Director in Johnson Vanessa Wyche says this mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation.
The Crew:
Commander: Reid Wiseman
-Second trip to space
-Experienced flight engineer with more than 165 days in space
-13 hours of spacewalking
Pilot: Victor Glover
-Second trip to space
-Experienced flight engineer with 168 days in space
-Participated in four spacewalks
Mission Specialist: Christina Hammock Koch
-Second trip to space
-Holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space
-Part of the first-ever all-female spacewalk
Mission Specialist: Jeremy Hansen
-First time in space
-First Canadian to train astronauts
Hansen is a Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and a former fighter pilot. He holds a Bachelor of Science in space science and a Master of Science in physics.
