NASA Unveils Four Astronauts for Historic Crewed Moon Mission in 50 Years
The space agency has chosen Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen for the Artemis II mission, marking a significant milestone in human spaceflight. The crew will embark on a 10-day journey to the moon's orbit, becoming the first humans to travel further than any previous mission.
Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, will serve as commander of the mission. He has completed one prior spaceflight, spending 165 days aboard the International Space Station in 2014. The 47-year-old astronaut is also a veteran of NASA's astronaut office before stepping down in November 2022.
Glover, another seasoned naval aviator, was part of the historic SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station in 2020. He piloted the second crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and spent nearly six months aboard the orbiting laboratory. The 46-year-old astronaut expressed his excitement about the mission, stating that it marks "the next step in humanity's journey to Mars."
Koch, a veteran engineer and six-time spacewalk specialist, holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with over 328 days in space. She has completed extensive training as part of NASA's Artemis program and is set to make history as the first woman to return to the moon.
Hansen, a Canadian fighter pilot, was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009. He will become the first Canadian to travel to deep space on this mission. The 47-year-old astronaut has completed extensive training and expressed his gratitude to be part of this historic mission.
The Artemis II mission is set to take off around November 2024, with a crew of four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft. The journey will last approximately 10 days, with the spacecraft circling the moon before returning to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean. This mission marks a significant milestone in human spaceflight and paves the way for future lunar missions.
The Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon by the end of the decade, with NASA's inspector general predicting delays that will push the mission to 2026 or later. The success of this mission is seen as crucial to establishing a permanent lunar outpost, allowing astronauts to live and work on the moon for extended periods.
The selection process for the Artemis II crew was shrouded in secrecy, but the diversity of the selected astronauts has been praised by NASA officials. Director Vanessa Wyche emphasized that the crew members have "the right stuff," with skills and experience that will be essential for this historic mission.
An exclusive interview with the four astronauts will air on CNN's "CNN This Morning" next week, offering an inside look at their training, preparation, and anticipation for this momentous occasion.
The space agency has chosen Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen for the Artemis II mission, marking a significant milestone in human spaceflight. The crew will embark on a 10-day journey to the moon's orbit, becoming the first humans to travel further than any previous mission.
Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, will serve as commander of the mission. He has completed one prior spaceflight, spending 165 days aboard the International Space Station in 2014. The 47-year-old astronaut is also a veteran of NASA's astronaut office before stepping down in November 2022.
Glover, another seasoned naval aviator, was part of the historic SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station in 2020. He piloted the second crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and spent nearly six months aboard the orbiting laboratory. The 46-year-old astronaut expressed his excitement about the mission, stating that it marks "the next step in humanity's journey to Mars."
Koch, a veteran engineer and six-time spacewalk specialist, holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with over 328 days in space. She has completed extensive training as part of NASA's Artemis program and is set to make history as the first woman to return to the moon.
Hansen, a Canadian fighter pilot, was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009. He will become the first Canadian to travel to deep space on this mission. The 47-year-old astronaut has completed extensive training and expressed his gratitude to be part of this historic mission.
The Artemis II mission is set to take off around November 2024, with a crew of four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft. The journey will last approximately 10 days, with the spacecraft circling the moon before returning to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean. This mission marks a significant milestone in human spaceflight and paves the way for future lunar missions.
The Artemis program aims to return humans to the moon by the end of the decade, with NASA's inspector general predicting delays that will push the mission to 2026 or later. The success of this mission is seen as crucial to establishing a permanent lunar outpost, allowing astronauts to live and work on the moon for extended periods.
The selection process for the Artemis II crew was shrouded in secrecy, but the diversity of the selected astronauts has been praised by NASA officials. Director Vanessa Wyche emphasized that the crew members have "the right stuff," with skills and experience that will be essential for this historic mission.
An exclusive interview with the four astronauts will air on CNN's "CNN This Morning" next week, offering an inside look at their training, preparation, and anticipation for this momentous occasion.
Like, 50 years since humans last visited and now we've got a whole crew ready to take on the challenge. I'm low-key hyped! 
The diversity of the selected astronauts is awesome, I love that we've got women and people from different backgrounds representing humanity in space.
! Did you know that NASA's Orion spacecraft has a top speed of Mach 25 (around 18,000 mph)? That's way faster than the Space Shuttle! 
And can you believe these astronauts have spent over 700 days in space combined? 
Christina Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman - talk about dedication! 
The diversity of this crew is amazing too - Reid Wiseman as commander, Victor Glover from SpaceX, Christina Koch with her engineering skills, and Jeremy Hansen from Canada. They're gonna make history on November 2024! 
. I mean, can you believe we're finally going back to the moon?! It feels like science fiction come true 
! And Jeremy Hansen being the first Canadian to go deep space is just amazing 
. I love how diverse this crew is, it's like NASA is saying, "Hey, we want people from all over the world on our team!" 
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, and I'm honored to be along for the ride 
. I mean, these astronauts are basically saying they want to be part of something that could change the course of human history. And you know what? We can all do that too! We don't have to wait 50 years for it though 
. The point is, it's never too late to take a leap of faith and aim for the stars (or in this case, the moon 
The fact that they're all super experienced and talented is just icing on the cake 
. Let's go NASA! 
I'm literally hyped 
. The diversity of the crew makes this mission even more exciting 
I mean, Canada gets to send its first person to deep space as part of a collaborative effort with NASA, but what about other nations? It's like they're leaving everyone else behind on this historic mission. And let's not forget about the environmental impact - all that energy and resources being spent on space travel while we're still dealing with climate change back here 
. I mean, who wouldn't be? The diversity of this crew is crazy too 
. The Artemis program is all about establishin' a permanent lunar outpost, which is like, totally mind-blowing 
Either way, I'm here for it and I hope we get to see some epic footage of this mission soon 
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. Plus, I'm not sure about this "permanent lunar outpost" thing... how are they planning on making that work? 
The costs alone must be astronomical 
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! The most important thing is they're all astronauts, so they must be pros 
. No pressure, though 
plus canadians jeremy hansen are finally getting to explore deep space too! 
It sounds like a bunch of propaganda to me. We need to focus on making sure our astronauts are safe and happy, not just pushing forward with some grandiose vision that might never come to fruition.
I'm also loving the fact that Christina Koch will be making history as the first woman to return to the moon 
Can't wait for those interviews on CNN next week, gotta hear more about their training and what's got them pumped up for this mission 