NASA has revealed the four astronauts who will be participating in the crewed Artemis II mission to the Moon, which will be the first such mission in half a century. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, are going to take part in a flight test of the Artemis II spacecraft that will last for ten days and will be launched on the powerful Space Launch System rocket in November 2024. The purpose of the test is to validate the capabilities as well as the techniques that are required for humans to live and work in deep space.
The Block 1 version of the Space Launch System will be used to launch the Orion MPCV Spacecraft, which will take the four astronauts into orbit around the moon for a flyby. One of their goals will be to achieve a free return trajectory from the Moon, and they will also aim to perform several departure burns. Orion will be launched into a high Earth orbit after a period of approximately 42 hours. During this time, the crew will perform various checkouts of the spacecraft’s life support systems as well as a proximity operations demonstration using the spent Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) as a target. Additionally, the crew will conduct a demonstration of proximity operations.
These individuals, the crew of the Artemis II, will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, making them the pioneers of this endeavour. All four astronauts will represent the finest of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all people while they are on the moon. The team includes the first woman, the first person of colour, and the first Canadian to go on a lunar mission. According to Director Vanessa Wyche of NASA Johnson, “This mission opens the stage for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new prospects for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry, and academic partnerships, and the Artemis Generation.”
