NASA has selected its crew for the first crewed moon mission in nearly five decades. The astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, are set to embark on a historic journey with the Artemis II lunar flyby mission.
The crew members come from diverse backgrounds - Wiseman is a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who previously flew on a six-month mission to the International Space Station; Glover was part of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019 and has logged over 3,000 flight hours; Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and has completed six spacewalks; Hansen is a fighter pilot who 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 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket. The crew will embark on a journey that could last up to 10 days and send them further than any human has traveled before. After circling the moon, they will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission is seen as a crucial step towards establishing a permanent lunar outpost, paving the way for astronauts to live and work deeper into space long-term. NASA has been working on the Artemis program for over a decade, aiming to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The diversity of the crew reflects the agency's commitment to selecting individuals with the right skills and experience for the mission. According to Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, "we have requirements different than we did...just had test pilots" in previous missions.
The four astronauts will share their experiences on a live interview with CNN's Ed Lavandera on Tuesday at 6 am ET. Their selection marks an exciting moment for the agency and the space community as they prepare to return humans to the moon after nearly five decades.
The crew members come from diverse backgrounds - Wiseman is a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who previously flew on a six-month mission to the International Space Station; Glover was part of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019 and has logged over 3,000 flight hours; Koch holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and has completed six spacewalks; Hansen is a fighter pilot who 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 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket. The crew will embark on a journey that could last up to 10 days and send them further than any human has traveled before. After circling the moon, they will return to Earth for a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean.
The mission is seen as a crucial step towards establishing a permanent lunar outpost, paving the way for astronauts to live and work deeper into space long-term. NASA has been working on the Artemis program for over a decade, aiming to put the first woman and person of color on the lunar surface.
The diversity of the crew reflects the agency's commitment to selecting individuals with the right skills and experience for the mission. According to Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, "we have requirements different than we did...just had test pilots" in previous missions.
The four astronauts will share their experiences on a live interview with CNN's Ed Lavandera on Tuesday at 6 am ET. Their selection marks an exciting moment for the agency and the space community as they prepare to return humans to the moon after nearly five decades.
Can we talk about how overdue this is? Like, literally, we've been stuck on the moon since 1972 
. I mean, I'm hyped for the diversity of the crew tho 
, it's awesome to see women and people from different backgrounds making history in space exploration. Christina Koch slaying her spaceflight record is giving me all the feels 
. And can we just say that Jeremy Hansen is a total boss for being the first Canadian to train NASA astronauts? 
What's next, sending Tim Hortons coffee to the moon? 
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... It's not just about the tech or the mission itself, it's about us as humans. What are we capable of? We gotta ask ourselves that. These four individuals, they're not just representatives of NASA, they're representatives of what we can become. The diversity on this crew is like, so cool 
... I mean, think about it, we got folks from different backgrounds, with different experiences... what does that say about us? That we value each other's perspectives, and we wanna take those lessons to space 
! So stoked for Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy - each has a unique background that's gonna be super valuable for this mission 
. Reid's flying skills are gonna come in handy, Victor's got some serious spacewalk cred 
, Christina's set records, and Jeremy's training is gonna help the next gen of astronauts 
. NASA's doing an amazing job of mixing things up - it's about time we see more diverse faces up there 
! November 2024 can't come soon enough for this Artemis II mission 
...the world is watching! 
reid wiseman is like, a total rockstar with his naval aviator background and 6-month stint on the iss... meanwhile victor glover has flown like, over 3000 hours and was part of that historic all-female spacewalk 
christina koch is basically a spaceflight record holder and j Jeremy hansen is like, a total canadian cool guy who just became the first canadian to train nasa astronauts 
. Hansen as a fighter pilot and now training new NASA astronauts is like, whoa 
. I'm hyped to see them blast off on this Artemis II mission - it's going to be crazy cool to watch!
can't wait to see them share their stories soon!!! 
And can we talk about how cool it is that this crew has such diverse backgrounds? I mean, a naval aviator, test pilot, astronaut, and fighter pilot all in one team... that's like a superhero squad up in here! 
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... but I don't know if she's actually ready for a lunar mission just yet... Jeremy Hansen's experience as a fighter pilot is super cool, though - but maybe we should've gone with someone who's more, like, astronomy-y 
! I'm hyped to see them embark on this historic journey and set a new record for human space travel 
. It's amazing that NASA is prioritizing diversity in the crew selection process - we need more women and people of color leading the charge for lunar exploration 
. The Artemis II mission is just the beginning, I'm excited to see where this program takes us next 
