NASA on Monday officially introduced the Artemis II crew set to return humans to the surface of the moon first the first time after some 50 years
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd April, 2023) NASA on Monday officially introduced the Artemis II crew set to return humans to the surface of the moon first the first time after some 50 years.
The Artemis mission crew consists of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
"Together we will usher in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers - the Artemis generation, together, we are going to the moon, to Mars and beyond," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during the unveiling ceremony.
Wiseman will serve as the commander of the Artemis mission while Glover, who is expected to be the first colored-person to land on the moon, will serve as the pilot of the Orion spacecraft developed by Boeing.
Koch will also set a new milestone along with Glover as she is set to become the first woman to land on the moon.
The Artemis II mission will only conduct a flyby around the moon in late 2024 while the Artemis III mission will land the astronauts on the moon soon after.
All three NASA astronauts have previously made trips to the International Space Station, but this will be Hansen's first spaceflight.
NASA is planning for "regularly recurring" ongoing manned missions to the Moon after its first Artemis Program landing, which is scheduled for no earlier than 2025.
