NASA has announced the crew for the upcoming Artemis II mission to the moon. The mission is the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the moon in over 50 years, and it is an ambitious mission that will pave the way for future long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and potentially even to Mars.
At an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced the four-person crew. It is made up of three NASA astronauts and one Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut.
The crew members are Reid Wiseman of NASA, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch of NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the CSA. They will be the first woman, the first person of color, and the first Canadian on a lunar mission.
The crew will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during the lunar fly-by. The mission will last 10 days and is intended to test the abilities of the astronauts and the technologies that will eventually be used for future manned missions.
Christina Hammock Koch has already logged 328 days in space and is a veteran of two spacewalks and the first all-female spacewalk. Victor Glover has previously served as a pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission, which lasted 168 days and landed in May 2021.
The Artemis II mission is just the first of a series of missions that will be used to further human exploration of the moon and potentially even Mars. It will be a challenge for the crew and for the technology, but the crew is prepared for the task.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson believes that the crew members represent “the best of humanity” and are the perfect way to kickstart humanity’s journey to the Moon and beyond. Director of Flight Operations Norm Knight also believes that the crew is highly capable and more than up to the task.
Director of Flight Operations Norm Knight, NASA Johnson said, “I could not be prouder that these brave four will kickstart our journeys to the Moon and beyond.”
“They represent exactly what an astronaut corps should be: a mix of highly capable and accomplished individuals with the skills and determination to take on any trial as a team,” he exclaimed.
“The Artemis II mission will be challenging, and we’ll test our limits as we prepare to put future astronauts on the Moon. With Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy at the controls, I have no doubt we’re ready to face every challenge that comes our way,” Knight added.
