NASA has revealed the four astronauts who will be part of its first crewed mission to the moon in over five decades. The Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch in November 2024 and mark a major milestone in the US space program's plans to return humans to the lunar surface.
The crew, comprising of three Americans and one Canadian, are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission. He has previously completed one spaceflight on a Russian Soyuz rocket and most recently served as chief of the astronaut office.
Glover, a 46-year-old naval aviator, is a veteran of six spacewalks and holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, with a total of 328 days in space. He has also piloted the second crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station.
Koch, a 44-year-old electrical engineer, is a veteran of six spacewalks, including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and has also spent a year at the South Pole, an arduous stay that could well prepare her for the intensity of a moon mission.
Hansen, a 47-year-old fighter pilot, is one of only four active Canadian astronauts and will be the first Canadian to travel to deep space. He was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009 and recently became the first Canadian to be put in charge of training for a new class of NASA astronauts.
The Artemis II mission is expected to take off around November 2024 and will send the crew on a journey beyond the moon, potentially further than any human has traveled in history. The spacecraft will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean after circling the moon.
The mission marks a major milestone in NASA's plans to establish a permanent lunar outpost, allowing astronauts to live and work deeper into space long-term as they map a path to sending humans to Mars.
The crew, comprising of three Americans and one Canadian, are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission. He has previously completed one spaceflight on a Russian Soyuz rocket and most recently served as chief of the astronaut office.
Glover, a 46-year-old naval aviator, is a veteran of six spacewalks and holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, with a total of 328 days in space. He has also piloted the second crewed flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft and spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station.
Koch, a 44-year-old electrical engineer, is a veteran of six spacewalks, including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and has also spent a year at the South Pole, an arduous stay that could well prepare her for the intensity of a moon mission.
Hansen, a 47-year-old fighter pilot, is one of only four active Canadian astronauts and will be the first Canadian to travel to deep space. He was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009 and recently became the first Canadian to be put in charge of training for a new class of NASA astronauts.
The Artemis II mission is expected to take off around November 2024 and will send the crew on a journey beyond the moon, potentially further than any human has traveled in history. The spacecraft will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean after circling the moon.
The mission marks a major milestone in NASA's plans to establish a permanent lunar outpost, allowing astronauts to live and work deeper into space long-term as they map a path to sending humans to Mars.
I'm really stoked about this news! The selection of astronauts for the Artemis II mission is like, super impressive. Reid Wiseman's leadership skills are gonna be crucial in making sure everything goes smoothly on that mission 
. And Glover's spacewalk records? Insane! 328 days in space is just mind-blowing. I'm also loving how NASA is bringing in a diverse crew with Koch's experience as an engineer and Hansen's piloting skills from the Canadian Space Agency 
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. And with Hansen as part of the crew, we're also seeing Canada's space program really take off 
. Reid Wiseman seems like a no-nonsense commander, but also has some cool experience with Russian spacecraft - hope he and Glover get along well for this mission 
. And can we talk about how awesome it's going to be to see a female pilot (Victoria Glover) break more records in space? 
But, can we talk about how crazy this mission is gonna be? 328 days in space by Christina Koch? That's like... a whole lotta time up there. 
Jeremy Hansen as a Canadian astronaut is super cool tho! 
I'm also kinda curious about Reid Wiseman being the commander. Has he got what it takes to lead a crew on this epic mission? 
I'm hyped for this Artemis II mission! Having Canadians on board is awesome, it's great to see Jeremy Hansen gettin' a chance to go deep space 
. Christina Koch is gonna crush it out there, all that experience on the ISS and those six spacewalks 
. And Glover's already broken records with SpaceX, this just gets him closer to new heights 
Jeremy Hansen's gonna make us proud as the first Canadian in deep space 
Can't wait for this Artemis II mission in Nov 2024! 
! Reid Wiseman, being the commander, I gotta respect his experience & skills - one spaceflight under his belt already! And Christina Koch, oh man, 328 days in space? That's like a whole lifetime of learning & growing out there 
- that's what makes all this space exploration worth it 
... and I gotta say, this crew looks pretty talented 
, and Jeremy Hansen being the first Canadian to go deep space 
... it's gonna be awesome to see what they can do! And it's not just about the moon, it's about paving the way for a permanent lunar outpost and eventually sending humans to Mars 
. its awesome that nasa's got some solid folks on board, like Glover and Koch, who've already got tons of space experience under their belts. Wiseman's leadership skills are gonna be important for the crew too 
I mean, don't get me wrong, it's cool and all that SpaceX is doing, but let's not forget that we still have some major tech hurdles to overcome before we can even think about making humanity a multi-planetary species 
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Christina Koch's spacewalk record is insane too, 328 days in space?! That girl is out of this world 
. Can't wait for November 2024 and the Artemis II launch! 
I've been following the updates on Reddit and it's crazy to think that we're finally gonna have a crewed mission back to the moon in like 5 decades! The fact that Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are part of this crew is just amazing - they all seem so seasoned and experienced 
, can we talk about the crew tho?? Reid Wiseman is soooo cool, been all around space and still doing it 
. But seriously, great to see Jeremy Hansen getting that chance, Canada needs all the space travel credits they can get 
. Can't wait for this mission and the progress it'll bring towards actually establishing a human settlement on Mars 
NASA's plans to establish a permanent lunar outpost are also really exciting - it feels like we're on the cusp of something big here... 
This is a momentous time for space exploration, and I'm stoked to be alive to see it all unfold!