Meet NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts who will venture around Moon
After the success of Artemis 1, NASA is making headway with Artemis 2 lunar mission. Artemis 2 will be the first crewed mission under the Artemis program and importantly, this lunar expedition will include the first woman and first person of color. Here is a list of the four astronauts who will be a part of the upcoming Moon mission.
What was the Artemis 1 mission about?
Artemis 1—the first mission in the Artemis program—was an uncrewed test flight of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. During the approximate 25-day mission, Artemis 1 broke quite a few records. It traveled 432,210km from Earth, the maximum distance that any spacecraft built for humans has ever reached. For context, that's 1,000 times more than where the ISS orbits Earth.
Artemis 2 will take four astronauts around the Moon
Artemis 2 will take four astronauts around the Moon, without landing on it, for 10 days. The mission will launch aboard SLS, the world's most powerful rocket, and is expected to take off in November 2024. The mission will "prove Orion spacecraft's life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space," said NASA.
Meet the crew members of the Artemis 2 mission
The four-membered crew of the Artemis 2 mission comprises three NASA astronauts: Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), and Christina Hammock Koch, and one from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), named Jeremy Hansen. Koch will be the first woman astronaut to fly on a lunar mission while Glover will be the first black astronaut on one. Hansen and Koch will serve as mission specialists.
Koch was part of the first all-female spacewalks
For Koch, Artemis 2 will be the second trip into space. She previously served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Expeditions 59, 60, and 61. Koch spent a total of 328 days in space, setting the record for the "longest single spaceflight by a woman." She was also a part of the first all-female spacewalks.
Hansen was a former fighter pilot
Hansen will be the first Canadian to go on a lunar mission and Artemis 2 will be his first trip to space. He worked as a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force, before joining the CSA.
Glover was a pilot on NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 mission
For Glover, Artemis 2 will be the second spaceflight. He has previously served as a pilot on NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 mission, which lasted 168 days. He was the first African American to stay in the ISS for a period of six months. As a flight engineer on ISS Expedition 64, he has been a part of four spacewalks.
Wiseman was the chief of NASA's Astronaut Office
Artemis 2 will be Wiseman's second trip into space. He was a part of ISS Expedition 41, from May through November 2014. Wiseman has spent over 165 days in space. He was the lead spacewalker during two trips outside the space station, which lasted about 13 hours. Wiseman served as chief of NASA's Astronaut Office from December 2020 to November 2022.
