On Monday, NASA and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) revealed the four astronauts set for the journey on Artemis II to orbit the Moon. This is the first mission with a crew that would see NASA making a long-time exploration at the Moon.
The announcement was made at an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The group of astronauts consists of the first-ever female and Black astronauts on a mission to the lunar region, which marks the end of the exclusive white male crew of the Apollo era. The mission is aimed to make way for upcoming long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and consequently Mars.
The Artemis II flight test to run for around 10 days, will launch on the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, proves the abilities and schemes that the humans need to thrive and work in space.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson conveyed his appreciation and gratitude to all those people who contributed to the success of the mission, during the announcement. He also highlighted that the four astronauts of Artemis II are not just representatives of NASA, but all of mankind. “The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity’s crew,” he said.
“The NASA astronauts comprise of, Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen, each has their own story, but, together they represent our creed: E pluribus unum – out of many, one. Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers – the Artemis Generation”, he said.
The Firsts-Black and woman
Astronauts Christina Hammock Koch and Victor Glover will go down in history for their involvement in the mission to orbit the Moon.
Koch makes history as the first woman to journey to the Moon, marking the women overtaking in space exploration, 50 years after the first mission to the Moon which was only manned by male astronauts. Koch specializes in engineering and has experience as a flight engineer on the International Space Station (ISS) making a valuable contribution to the upcoming mission.
She also contributed to scientific investigations, and technology demonstrations, and participated in four spacewalks for International Space Expedition 64.
Victor Glover, on the other hand, would be the first Black astronaut to embark on a journey to the Moon. Previously, Glover has worked with the ISS and is an experienced pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission.
In May 2009, he was one of two recruits selected by CSA through the third Canadian Astronaut Recruitment Campaign and has served in NASA’s Mission Control Center at Johnson as Capcom. In 2017, Glover became the first Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut class as well as leading the training of astronaut candidates from the US and Canada.
Meet Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman
Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency is set for his first flight to the Moon in 2024. The current colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces, and former fighter pilot, Hansen has more than enough experience to offer on the mission.
Meanwhile, Reid Wiseman is ready for his second space exploration and will be the commander of the Artemis-II mission. Wiseman has been in space for more than 165 days, including 13 hours as lead spacewalker on two trips outside the orbital complex.
The minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency, Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, said, “We are going back to the Moon and Canada is at the center of this exciting journey. Thanks to our longstanding collaboration with NASA, a Canadian astronaut will fly on this historic mission. On behalf of all Canadians, I want to congratulate Jeremy for being at the forefront of one of the most ambitious human endeavors ever undertaken. Canada’s participation in the Artemis program is not only a defining chapter of our history in space but also a testament to the friendship and close partnership between our two nations.”
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