NASA has selected four astronauts for its highly anticipated first crewed mission to the moon in over five decades. The quartet, consisting of NASA's Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch along with Victor Glover from SpaceX and Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, are set to embark on a historic 10-day journey that will send them beyond the lunar orbit for the first time ever.
The four astronauts are no ordinary space travelers. Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, commands the mission as commander, having previously completed one long-duration stay at the International Space Station in 2014. Koch is a seasoned astronaut with six spacewalks under her belt, including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. Glover, who piloted SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft for its second crewed flight, has also spent nearly six months aboard the ISS. Hansen, a fighter pilot from Canada, will be the first Canadian to venture into deep space.
The Artemis II mission is expected to launch around November 2024 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a massive Space Launch System rocket. Upon completion of their journey, which includes circling the moon and making a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean, the astronauts will pave the way for the long-awaited Artemis III mission, set to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface later this decade.
The historic crew was chosen from an elite pool of applicants after NASA emphasized the diversity of its new team. Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center Vanessa Wyche noted that while the selected astronauts share "the right stuff," their backgrounds differ significantly from those of past space missions, which often featured predominantly White male test pilots.
Gloever revealed in an interview with CNN earlier this week that he and his colleagues found out about the selection process just weeks ago. When told about his new role as part of the Artemis II crew, Koch described herself as "speechless" but expressed her honor to be a part of the historic mission.
The four astronauts will join forces for an exclusive interview on "CNN This Morning" starting at 6 am ET next Tuesday. As the world eagerly waits for this momentous occasion, it's clear that these brave individuals are about to take humanity one giant leap closer to Mars – and forever change our understanding of space exploration.
The four astronauts are no ordinary space travelers. Wiseman, a decorated naval aviator and test pilot, commands the mission as commander, having previously completed one long-duration stay at the International Space Station in 2014. Koch is a seasoned astronaut with six spacewalks under her belt, including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. Glover, who piloted SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft for its second crewed flight, has also spent nearly six months aboard the ISS. Hansen, a fighter pilot from Canada, will be the first Canadian to venture into deep space.
The Artemis II mission is expected to launch around November 2024 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a massive Space Launch System rocket. Upon completion of their journey, which includes circling the moon and making a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean, the astronauts will pave the way for the long-awaited Artemis III mission, set to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface later this decade.
The historic crew was chosen from an elite pool of applicants after NASA emphasized the diversity of its new team. Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center Vanessa Wyche noted that while the selected astronauts share "the right stuff," their backgrounds differ significantly from those of past space missions, which often featured predominantly White male test pilots.
Gloever revealed in an interview with CNN earlier this week that he and his colleagues found out about the selection process just weeks ago. When told about his new role as part of the Artemis II crew, Koch described herself as "speechless" but expressed her honor to be a part of the historic mission.
The four astronauts will join forces for an exclusive interview on "CNN This Morning" starting at 6 am ET next Tuesday. As the world eagerly waits for this momentous occasion, it's clear that these brave individuals are about to take humanity one giant leap closer to Mars – and forever change our understanding of space exploration.
I'm literally stoked for these astronauts! Reid Wiseman and Christina Koch are total rockstars, been there done that with ISS missions already. Victor Glover's SpaceX experience will come in handy, and Jeremy Hansen's a total Canadian hero 
. Can't wait to see them take on the moon mission together - it's gonna be epic! We're one step closer to having a diverse team of space explorers paving the way for more missions. Let's get ready to blast off into a new era of space travel and make some history with these awesome astronauts 
, and Jeremy Hansen making history as the first Canadian in deep space 
. And let's be real, with this crew on board, we're talking giant leaps forward for humanity 
its crazy to think bout how much time & effort went into gettin us to where we r today! 
the Artemis II crew is literally the coolest thing since sliced bread 
, and i cant wait 2 see them embark on their historic journey! 
did u know that Hansen is the 1st Canadian in deep space?! 
and omg the diversity of this crew is 
. November 2024 can't come soon enough, I'm on that Artemis II hype train 
!
. this mission is not just about them, though - it's about paving the way for future generations to make their mark on the cosmos