NASA has unveiled the crew chosen for the Artemis II mission, which in 2024 will bring astronauts back to the Moon for the first time since the last Apollo mission in 1972.
These are three men and, for the first time, a woman: the Americans Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Reid Wiseman and the Canadian Jeremy Hansen.
Over the course of 10 days, the crew will fly behind the far side of our satellite, going farther from Earth than a human has ever done.
THE CREW – The role of mission specialist for Artemis II will be filled by NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who began her career as an electrical engineer and in 2019 flew to the International Space Station (ISS) participating in the first spacewalk of women only.
The second member of the crew is Canadian Jeremy Hansen, who was a military pilot before working for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). He currently works with NASA for astronaut training and mission operations: for him Artemis II will be the first mission into space. The third crew member is Victor Glover, NASA astronaut of the class of 2013, who will play the role of pilot to guide the Orion capsule around the Moon, thanks to his previous experience as a pilot for SpaceX's Crew-1 mission.
THE COMMANDER – Finally, the role of commander will be entrusted to the American Reid Wiseman, who in his curriculum also boasts command of a submarine research mission, Neemo21, and experience aboard the ISS as a flight engineer in 2014.
NASA – "We are going!", exclaimed NASA chief Bill Nelson, introducing the "four pioneers" who will form "the crew of all humanity". The Artemis II mission "not it will bring not only them, but also the hope of millions of people around the world".
(Unioneonline/lf)
