NASA’s Recent Announcement of The Artemis II Crew

On the morning of November 16th, 2022, NASA successfully launched its Artemis I mission to test out the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System. On this mission, the Orion spacecraft was unmanned and spent several days making its voyage to the moon and back to test its many systems, including propulsion and life support systems. Orion made it back to Earth on December 30th, 2022, after a successful mission.  

Artemis I was the first of four planned Artemis missions to the moon. After Artemis I, NASA began planning the Artemis II mission in which four astronauts will man the Orion spacecraft around the moon for a flyby to further test its capabilities. In Artemis III, NASA will send four astronauts to the moon once again, but this time to land on the lunar surface and establish a permanent presence, and Artemis IV will include the construction of the lunar space station Gateway to facilitate astronaut transportation between the surface of the moon and Earth. 

On April 3rd, on a YouTube livestream, NASA announced the names of the four astronauts who will be manning the Orion spacecraft on Artemis II: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. Here are some brief biographies of each crew member: 

Commander Reid Wiseman (NASA): Wiseman was a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41, conducting important research in human physiology, medicine, physical science, Earth science, and astrophysics. He was also Chief of the Astronaut office before receiving his position of Commander of Artemis II. 

Pilot Victor Glover (NASA): Glover served as an astronaut aboard the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon mission and conducted a long-duration mission above the International Space Station. Furthermore, like Wiseman, Glover was also a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station, but for Expedition 64.  

Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch (NASA): Koch received her position of NASA astronaut in 2013 and was a flight engineer for International Space Station missions Expedition 59, 60, and 61. She also set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with 328 days in space, and she participated in the first all-female spacewalks.  

Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency): Hansen’s flight experience spans almost his entire life, starting with joining 614 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron. He obtained a pilot license at the age of 17 and graduated from Royal Military College Saint-Jean with a bachelor’s degree in honors space science. He is the first Canadian to traveling to the moon. 

Artemis II is scheduled to liftoff sometime in late 2024, and, similar to Artemis I, the whole world will be watching and anticipating the success of this mission, which will mark humanity’s return to the moon for the first time in over 50 years. To keep up with Artemis II’s status and the astronauts, be sure to visit www.nasa.gov. Furthermore, you can follow NASA, Artemis, and the Canadian Space Agency on social media (Instagram and Youtube).  

Sources:  

NASA: Artemis II Crew   

Astronaut Jeremy Hansen's biography | Canadian Space Agency (asc-csa.gc.ca)