The four astronauts NASA picked for the first crewed moon mission in 50 years | CNN

NASA has finally picked its crew for the first crewed mission to the moon in over five decades. The Artemis II lunar flyby, scheduled to launch in November 2024, will mark a historic moment in human space exploration.

The four-person crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Christina Koch completes the team, bringing her extensive experience as a veteran of six spacewalks and the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.

Wiseman, 47, is a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who has completed one prior spaceflight to the International Space Station. He will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission. Hansen, also 47, is a fighter pilot from London, Ontario, who recently became the first Canadian to be put in charge of training for a new class of NASA astronauts.

Glover, 46, has flown on two previous crewed missions and spent six months aboard the International Space Station. He was part of the historic SpaceX Crew-1 mission that launched to space in November 2020. Koch, 44, is an electrical engineer who helped develop scientific instruments for multiple NASA missions. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.

The crew's selection marks a significant step forward for diversity and inclusivity in NASA's astronaut corps. Director Vanessa Wyche emphasized that the Artemis II crew consists of "the right stuff," with diverse backgrounds and expertise. Koch, who was part of the initial team announced, revealed to CNN that she and her colleagues were surprised by their selection, which left her speechless.

The Artemis II mission is expected to take off in November 2024 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will embark on a journey that could potentially be longer than any human has traveled in history, with the exact distance depending on various factors. Upon completion of their flyby, they will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean.

The Artemis II mission is just the beginning of NASA's ambitious plans to return humans to the moon and eventually send them to Mars. The space agency has been working tirelessly to develop the necessary technology and infrastructure to make this vision a reality. With the successful completion of this mission, NASA is poised to take another giant leap in human space exploration.

A conversation between the four astronauts will air on "CNN This Morning" next Tuesday, providing an opportunity for viewers to learn more about their experiences and the significance of this historic mission.
 
I'm so done with these NASA missions πŸš€πŸ€¦β€β™‚οΈ. First off, can't they just make it a 5-day trip? The crew's gonna be gone for like, what, months?! 🀯 And don't even get me started on the training process... it sounds like they've gotta learn how to do everything all over again, because apparently, it's not enough that they're already astronauts πŸ‘€.

And what's with the lack of transparency? Who gets picked for these missions, really? It's just a bunch of "diverse backgrounds and expertise" πŸ™„. More PR than actual substance, if you ask me πŸ˜’. I mean, I'm all for inclusivity, but can't we have more clear criteria for selecting crew members instead of just throwing a bunch of words around? πŸ’β€β™€οΈ
 
oh my gosh, i'm so stoked 🀩 about this news!!! finally, we're going back to the moon! can you believe it's been over 5 decades since our astronauts last set foot on the lunar surface? I mean, Christina Koch is literally a superhero πŸ’ͺ for holding that record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. and Reid Wiseman as commander of the Artemis II mission? yeah, he's got some serious credentials under his belt! πŸš€ it's so awesome to see diversity and inclusivity in NASA's astronaut corps too - Jeremy Hansen from Canada is like, totally paving the way for more international representation πŸŒŽπŸ’« I'm literally counting down the days until November 2024 πŸ•°οΈ can't wait to watch that CNN special with the crew!
 
πŸš€ I'm hyped for this historic moment! It's amazing that NASA is finally back in the game with a crewed mission to the moon. The diversity and inclusivity in the selected crew is super inspiring - we're talking about people from different backgrounds, expertise, and even nationalities coming together to achieve something incredible 🌎. Christina Koch's spacewalk record and overall experience will surely be valuable assets on this mission. Can't wait to see how they perform and what kind of updates we get during their flyby! πŸ‘€
 
oh man 🀩, can you believe we're finally gonna see humans back on the moon in like 2024?! πŸš€ it's been ages since we've had a crewed mission up there, so this is kinda big deal πŸ’₯ and i love that they picked such diverse crews with all these different backgrounds and expertise... like Christina Koch who's got some serious space cred under her belt πŸ’ͺ, 6 spacewalks and the longest single spaceflight by a woman? 🀯 mind blown! πŸ‘
 
man, its like totally exciting news but also a bit worrying... i mean, have you seen the timeline for these missions? November 2024 is already here in like 2 yrs? that's crazy fast... i know nasa is gonna make it happen and all, but what about the risks? they're sendin people to the moon again after all these years... what could go wrong? πŸš€πŸ’« still hyped though, gotta give props to christina koch tho, 6 spacewalks and a record for longest single spaceflight by a woman... that's some serious skill πŸ’ͺ
 
I'm so stoked about this Artemis II mission πŸš€! It's been ages since we've had a crewed mission to the moon, and now NASA is finally bringing it back with a diverse team of astronauts 🌎. I mean, you've got a veteran spacewalker like Christina Koch on board, someone who knows what it takes to survive in space πŸ’ͺ, and then you add two experienced commanders, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen πŸ‘Š. It's like NASA has been laying the groundwork for this mission, getting their team ready with years of training πŸ“š.

The fact that this crew is so diverse is a major win for inclusivity 🌈. I'm loving that we've got Canadian representation too 😊. The whole thing just feels really calculated and deliberate, which makes me even more excited to see it all come together πŸ’₯. November 2024 can't come soon enough!
 
πŸ€” oh man I'm so hyped for NASA's Artemis II mission πŸš€πŸ’« it's like totally exciting that they finally picked a crew for the first lunar flyby in over 50 years πŸ•°οΈ and Christina Koch is part of it which is amazing given her record-breaking spaceflight πŸš€ she must have some crazy stories to share about her six spacewalks πŸ‘½

I wonder what's going through the minds of these astronauts right now πŸ€” are they nervous excited or just ready for this historic journey πŸ’₯ and how cool is it that there's diversity in the crew too 🌎 I mean Jeremy Hansen from Canada being part of NASA's astronaut training program is awesome πŸ‡¨πŸ‡¦

I hope the CNN interview next week will be fascinating πŸ“Ί can't wait to see what they have to say about their experiences and what we can expect from this mission πŸ€”
 
πŸš€πŸ‘¨β€πŸš€πŸ”₯ NASA's got a new crew that's out of this world! Finally getting some experienced spaceies on the moon πŸŒ•, it's about time! Christina Koch is a total boss with her record-breaking spaceflight, and Jeremy Hansen's got skills from flying fighter jets 🎯. Can't wait for their flyby in Nov 2024!
 
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