NASA and Canadian Space Agency reveal the Artemis II Astronauts

Published: April 5, 2023

NASA and Canadian Space Agency reveal the Artemis II Astronauts that will go on a journey around the Moon.

Today, April 3rd, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) revealed the four astronauts that will go on a journey around the Moon in 2024 as part of the Artemis program.

The last time humans traveled to the Moon was in 1972. Artemis will pave the way for humanity to someday build a permanent base on the Moon’s surface. In December 2022, NASA performed the program’s first mission, Artemis I, which was an uncrewed demonstration of how NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft will transport astronauts towards the Moon. During the upcoming Artemis II mission, SLS will propel Orion to lunar orbit with the crew of four astronauts that were announced today. The crew will not set foot on the Moon, only fly around it to demonstrate the spacecraft's technologies ahead of the actual lunar landing mission. Astronauts will not land on the Moon until Artemis III, which will require Orion to dock to SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) which is currently under development. 

Here they are. @SenBillNelson announces the #Artemis II crew, the next astronauts to fly around the Moon.We go together.  NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2023.

"The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity's crew," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, each has their own story, but, together, they represent our creed. E pluribus unum, out of many, one. Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers, the Artemis Generation," said Nelson. The Artemis II mission will be a 10-day flight test during which the astronauts will "prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space." U.S. President Joe Biden called the Artemis II crew to congratulate them, listen to the phone call in the video clip linked below. 

"For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals, the Artemis II crew, will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon. Among the crew are the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian on a lunar mission, and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all," said Director Vanessa Wyche, NASA Johnson.

"This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation."MEET THE ARTEMIS II ASTRONAUTS The Commander of the Artemis II mission is NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman (47 years old) who has served the U.S. Navy as an aviator. In 2014, he worked as a Flight Engineer at the International Space Station (ISS). During his 165-day Expedition 41 mission he performed science research and a spacewalk.

If all goes according to plan, the third Artemis mission will land a lucky pair of yet-to-be announced astronauts on the lunar surface as soon as 2025. NASA selected SpaceX to develop the lunar-optimized Starship Human Landing System that will land astronauts on the Moon as part of the Artemis III mission. NASA’s Orion spacecraft will be capable of docking with SpaceX’s Starship HLS in lunar orbit, where a pair of astronauts, a woman and a man, will transfer into HLS to set foot on the Moon while the other pair monitors the mission from lunar orbit. Starship is still under development and will perform multiple test flights before transporting humans. SpaceX’s debut orbital Starship flight test is planned for this year.

Source: Re-posted and Summarized from Evelyn Janeidy Arevalo at tesmanian.com.