Artemis 2 Astronauts Named – Who Are They?

4th Apr 2023
Artemis 2 Astronauts Named – Who Are They?

On April 3, at 11 a.m. EDT (16:00 London Time, UK), NASA revealed the names of the Artemis 2 Astronauts for the Moon flyby mission. 

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) jointly named the Crew of four astronauts live on YouTube.

Welcome the Artemis 2 astronauts

The four astronauts are pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist 1 Christina Koch and mission commander Reid Wiseman of NASA, and mission specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.
“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.”

The Artemis 2 crew includes one Canadian and three US astronauts, whose mission will be to fly around the Moon in the Orion capsule. The Artemis 2 mission starts no sooner than November 2024.

About the Artemis 2 Crew

This will not be the first flight to space for NASA astronauts. Each of them already has extensive experience in space missions. This will be the first real experience of flying into space only for the Canadian Jeremy Hansen. Let’s get to know the crew that will soon start a new era of manned missions to the moon.

G. Reid Wiseman (NASA) – US Navy pilot and Artemis 2 mission commander. Reid Wiseman spent 165 days as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 41, including nearly 13 hours in open space. He served as the Chief of the Astronaut Office.

Victor J. Glover (NASA) – American test pilot and pilot of the Artemis 2 mission. He served as the pilot and second-in-command of the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon mission named Resilience, which landed on May 2, 2021. This was the first mission following the certification of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft. During the Crew-1 mission, Victor J. Glover worked as a flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 64.

Christina H. Koch (NASA) – Engineer and Artemis 2 mission specialist. Christina Hammock Koch was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013. She was a flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61. Koch set the record for a woman’s longest stay in space, lasting 328 days aboard the ISS, and participated in the first all-female spacewalks.

Jeremy Hansen (CSA) – A fighter pilot and Artemis 2 mission specialist. This will be the first space mission for Jeremy Hansen. He will become the first Canadian to ever venture to the Moon.

“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. 

The Artemis 2 crew includes one Canadian and three US astronauts, three men and one woman, whose mission will be to fly around the Moon in the Orion capsule. The Artemis 2 mission starts no sooner than November 2024.

NASA Artemis 2 astronauts image
Credit: NASA

About the Artemis 2 mission

Artemis 2 will be launched on NASA’s SLS rocket from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The 32-story mega moon rocket — the most powerful in the world — will shoot them into the sky with 8.8 million pounds of thrust, a force equal to that of 160,000 Corvette engines. Not since the final Apollo flight in 1972 have astronauts made this journey. 

The 10-day journey will send the crew out beyond the Moon, further than any human has travelled in history.

“The exact distance beyond the Moon will depend on the day of liftoff and the relative distance of the Moon from the Earth at the time of the mission,” NASA spokesperson Kathryn Hambleton said to CNN.

Artemis II will be the final step towards the Artemis III mission, which is due to launch later this decade. The purpose of the Artemis III mission is to deliver the first female astronaut and an astronaut of a non-European race to the surface of the Moon. The last time man was on the Moon was in 1972, during the last Apollo mission.

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