NASA Names Four Astronauts for Historic Moon Mission in Five Decades
For the first time since the Apollo era, humans will return to the lunar surface in five decades. The crew of NASA's Artemis II mission has been officially announced, comprising four astronauts from the United States and Canada.
The selected astronauts are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Wiseman, 47, is a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who was selected in 2009 to join the astronaut program. He will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission.
Glover, 46, is a seasoned space traveler who has spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station. Hansen, 47, from Canada, is set to become the first Canadian astronaut to venture into deep space.
Koch, 44, is an accomplished engineer and scientist who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. She was part of the historic all-female spacewalk in 2019.
The Artemis II mission is scheduled to take off around November 2024 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The journey will last about 10 days, with the crew circling the moon before returning to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean. If everything goes according to plan, this mission will pave the way for the Artemis III mission later this decade, which aims to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The selection process was shrouded in secrecy until recently. NASA's director of Johnson Space Center, Vanessa Wyche, confirmed that the crew consists of men and women from diverse backgrounds, contrary to previous missions where only white male test pilots were involved.
Koch revealed in an interview with CNN that she was told about her selection a few weeks ago during a meeting under a different pretext. She described the moment as "speechless" and expressed her honor at being part of this historic mission.
The four astronauts will be featured on CNN's "This Morning" on Tuesday, which airs at 6 am ET.
For the first time since the Apollo era, humans will return to the lunar surface in five decades. The crew of NASA's Artemis II mission has been officially announced, comprising four astronauts from the United States and Canada.
The selected astronauts are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Wiseman, 47, is a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who was selected in 2009 to join the astronaut program. He will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission.
Glover, 46, is a seasoned space traveler who has spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station. Hansen, 47, from Canada, is set to become the first Canadian astronaut to venture into deep space.
Koch, 44, is an accomplished engineer and scientist who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. She was part of the historic all-female spacewalk in 2019.
The Artemis II mission is scheduled to take off around November 2024 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The journey will last about 10 days, with the crew circling the moon before returning to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean. If everything goes according to plan, this mission will pave the way for the Artemis III mission later this decade, which aims to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The selection process was shrouded in secrecy until recently. NASA's director of Johnson Space Center, Vanessa Wyche, confirmed that the crew consists of men and women from diverse backgrounds, contrary to previous missions where only white male test pilots were involved.
Koch revealed in an interview with CNN that she was told about her selection a few weeks ago during a meeting under a different pretext. She described the moment as "speechless" and expressed her honor at being part of this historic mission.
The four astronauts will be featured on CNN's "This Morning" on Tuesday, which airs at 6 am ET.
. Like, can't they just leave the moon alone? It's not like we need to go back there or anything. Four astronauts, huh? Big deal. They're just going to be a bunch of rich people in space suits, waving at each other from 239,000 miles away 
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. What are they even doing up there? Taking selfies? 
Can you believe it? After decades of waiting, we're finally gonna see humans back on the moon! 
I'm hyped about this mission, especially with a diverse crew - Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are all set to make history. 
And can't wait to see the record-breaker, Christina Koch, who's got the longest single spaceflight by a woman under her belt! 
What an amazing time for space exploration! We need to keep pushing forward and inspire the next gen of astronauts! 
#NASA #ArtemisII #MoonMission #DiversityInSpace
i'm literally so hyped for this NASA mission!!! it's been ages since we had humans on the moon and now they're sending ppl back with a woman & a person of color? 
that's what i call progress! Christina Koch is literally a total rockstar, she broke records left & right in space. Jeremy Hansen from Canada is gonna be a pioneer for his country too! 
and Reid Wiseman as the commander? he's got skills! can't wait to see these astronauts crush it on their mission 
and the fact that there's a Canadian on this mission is awesome! Jeremy Hansen seems really cool 
i wonder if they'll bring back any moon rocks or something 
Meanwhile, Jeremy Hansen's gotta represent Canada in this historic mission, which is cool, but I'm wondering if some Canadians are feeling left out... it feels like a Canadian astronaut is being pushed to the side. Can't we just have a more inclusive space program? 
. Like, who thought it was a good idea to send humans back to the lunar surface when we still can't even take care of our own planet? We're just going to go traipse around on some other rock and expect everything to be okay? Please. And don't even get me started on how much this is going to cost 
. I mean, $10 billion or whatever it's going to be for the Artemis II mission could be spent on so many good things here on Earth like education, healthcare, and infrastructure. It's just not right that we're wasting all that money on a bunch of rich folks in space suits 
. I'm so hyped for Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen to embark on this historic mission. Christina's spaceflight record is insane, holding the longest single spaceflight by a woman - that's no joke! 
i'm super hyped for this Artemis II mission and i think our selected astronauts are going to crush it! Reid Wiseman is looking strong as a naval aviator & test pilot, Victor Glover has got some serious space cred with his stint on the ISS 
, Christina Koch is an engineering genius and broke all sorts of records for women in space 
, and Jeremy Hansen is going to make Canada proud as our first canadian astronaut in deep space 
can't wait to see these astronauts take off and make history on the lunar surface again. November 2024 is just around the corner, stay tuned for liftoff 
. These four astronauts are literally pioneers 
. Reid Wiseman as commander? That's awesome! Christina Koch's record-breaking spaceflight is inspiring, and Jeremy Hansen becoming the first Canadian to venture into deep space is a huge deal 
What's that even mean? Is it like flying planes or something? 
The fact that they're choosing astronauts from diverse backgrounds is so awesome too. It means that anyone can go to the moon, regardless of who they are or where they come from! 
I wish Jeremy Hansen all the best, he's gonna be the first Canadian astronaut in deep space! Go Canada, eh? 
I'm a bit curious about Jeremy Hansen being the first Canadian astronaut in deep space, that's a big deal! 
Can't wait for November 2024 and seeing them off on their adventure. The thought of paving the way for an Artemis III mission with a woman and person of color on the lunar surface is pretty inspiring. 
. I'm so down to see these four astronauts making history, let's get ready for lift-off!
also super happy about the diversity of the crew, it's like we're finally getting back to normal after all these years 
