NASA Unveils Crew for First Human Mission to Moon in Five Decades
The US space agency has revealed the four astronauts set to embark on a historic mission to the moon in five decades, marking the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. The Artemis II mission is expected to take off in November 2024 and will be led by Commander Reid Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who has previously flown on the International Space Station.
Also part of the crew are Victor Glover, a veteran of spaceflight with over 3,000 hours of flight experience; Christina Koch, a seasoned astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman; and Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut making history as the first to travel to deep space.
The diverse group of astronauts is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. The mission will pave the way for future lunar missions and potentially send humans to Mars in the coming decades.
"We need to celebrate this moment in human history," said Glover during Monday's announcement at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. "It is the next step in the journey that will get humanity to Mars."
Artemis II will be a 10-day journey, with the crew launching atop a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After circling the moon, the spacecraft will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission is expected to take place around November 2024 and will mark the first time humans have touched down on the moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972. A second mission, Artemis III, is planned for later this decade, with NASA aiming to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The crew was selected from a pool of talented astronauts, with NASA emphasizing diversity as key to the selection process. "We have requirements different than we did (when we) just had test pilots," said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center.
The US space agency has revealed the four astronauts set to embark on a historic mission to the moon in five decades, marking the first crewed lunar flyby since 1972. The Artemis II mission is expected to take off in November 2024 and will be led by Commander Reid Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who has previously flown on the International Space Station.
Also part of the crew are Victor Glover, a veteran of spaceflight with over 3,000 hours of flight experience; Christina Koch, a seasoned astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman; and Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut making history as the first to travel to deep space.
The diverse group of astronauts is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon and establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. The mission will pave the way for future lunar missions and potentially send humans to Mars in the coming decades.
"We need to celebrate this moment in human history," said Glover during Monday's announcement at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. "It is the next step in the journey that will get humanity to Mars."
Artemis II will be a 10-day journey, with the crew launching atop a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After circling the moon, the spacecraft will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission is expected to take place around November 2024 and will mark the first time humans have touched down on the moon since the Apollo program ended in 1972. A second mission, Artemis III, is planned for later this decade, with NASA aiming to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The crew was selected from a pool of talented astronauts, with NASA emphasizing diversity as key to the selection process. "We have requirements different than we did (when we) just had test pilots," said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center.
! It's amazing to see the diverse crew they've chosen - Commander Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are all going to make history on that lunar flyby. And can we talk about how exciting it is that there's a woman and a person of color on board? 
NASA really knows how to celebrate this moment in human history 
.
. It's going to be an epic 10-day journey, and I'll be glued to my screen watching every step of it 
.
! Bring on November 2024, and let's get ready for liftoff 
who are about to embark on a journey that's out of this world literally! They're not just representing themselves but also the next gen of space explorers 
. And can we talk about how diverse and awesome this crew is? Victor, Christina, Jeremy & Reid are all like the ultimate role models for kids (and let's be real adults too 
) showing us that with hard work & determination anything is possible! The Artemis program is going to make history in so many ways 
. I'm literally counting down the days till November 2024 when this mission will take off 
. Bring on the moon landing and all its glory! 
The new crew for the Artemis II mission is literally out of this world! Commander Reid Wiseman leads the pack, followed by space veterans Victor Glover and Christina Koch - girl power at its finest! 
The diversity in this crew is, like, totally a-mazing. NASA is all about making history and getting humans to Mars, and I am HERE. FOR. IT! 
. And the crew they've picked is straight fire 
- Victor Glover's got over 3k hours of flight experience, Christina Koch broke some serious records out there, and Jeremy Hansen's makin' history as a Canadian astronaut in deep space. It's all about diversity and inclusivity, you know? 
And that Vanessa Wyche is speakin' the truth when she says they're lookin' for people with different requirements now. I'm hyped for this mission, it's gonna be a wild ride!
this is so cool, I'm hyped for the crew that's about to take off on this historic mission! 
and it's awesome to see NASA finally moving forward with their plans after all these years. 
The Artemis II mission is gonna be a big deal, especially with this diverse crew on board. It's cool to see people like Christina Koch holding records for longest spaceflight by a woman, and Jeremy Hansen making history as the first Canadian astronaut in deep space.
? And with NASA aiming to send humans to Mars in the coming decades, I'm excited to see where this journey takes us. 
, and Victor Glover's got some serious flight experience under his belt 
This mission is all about paving the way for future lunar and Mars missions, which is SO exciting to think about! Let's give it up for NASA and their amazing team of astronauts 
Christina Koch is a total inspiration too, breaking records and all that 
. But I guess what really gets me is that they're planning to send people to Mars in the future 
. Like, can you even imagine? 
I don't know if it's ambitious but I think it's cool that they've got a diverse crew, like a real-life space team! 
Commander Reid Wiseman is pretty interesting, been on the ISS and all that. And Christina Koch is basically the queen of long spaceflights, that's awesome. 
The fact that Jeremy Hansen is Canadian makes it even more special. But what I'm really excited about is the potential for humans to travel to Mars in the coming decades... 
that would be a game-changer! 
. What if something goes wrong? They're not exactly testing out some new tech here... just kinda relying on what's worked before. And the whole Mars thing is just around the corner 
. Anyway, glad they chose a diverse crew tho 
.
Commander Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are all amazing individuals with so much experience between them. It's like NASA is taking a leap towards making space travel more inclusive and I am HERE. FOR. IT! 
Also, why do we have to keep using the same old formatting for images? Can't we just use something more visually appealing? Like, have you seen those new space backgrounds on Dribbble?