The Artemis II crew: The four astronauts who will make history on NASA’s return to the Moon

NASA’s Artemis II ngo will nonstop 4 astronauts connected a flyby astir the Moon, investigating beingness enactment and navigation systems. Reed Wiseman is the commander, Victor Glover volition beryllium the archetypal Black astronaut successful lunar orbit, Christina Koch volition beryllium the archetypal pistillate to scope this far, and Jeremy Hansen volition beryllium the archetypal non-American astronaut to question this far.

The astronauts volition behaviour experiments to recognize however the quality assemblage is affected astatine large distances from Earth. The mission, lasting astir 10 days, volition motorboat from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center successful Florida.

The 4 Artemis II astronauts are acceptable for humanity’s instrumentality to the Moon aft much than 50 years. They volition thrust the Orion spacecraft atop the elephantine Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The ngo volition instrumentality them connected a accelerated flyby astir the Moon and back.

Artemis II volition beryllium the archetypal crewed formation without landing, sending astronauts farther than ever portion investigating beingness support, navigation, communications, and Orion’s vigor shield performance.

For implicit 2 years, the astronauts person been training, and since March 18, they entered “quarantine” astatine NASA’s Johnson Space Center successful Houston to hole for launch.

The Crew

Commander Reed Wiseman: The Single-Parent Leader
Born November 11, 1975, successful Baltimore, Wiseman’s passionateness for exploration began successful childhood. He studied subject astatine Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (1997), earned a master’s successful systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University (2006), and studied abstraction systems astatine the U.S. Navy’s schoolhouse successful California (2008).

He joined the Navy successful 1997, participated successful missions successful the Middle East, and successful 2003 trained arsenic a naval pilot. In 2009, helium was selected by NASA arsenic 1 of 9 caller astronauts. Wiseman served arsenic formation technologist connected the International Space Station (ISS) during Expedition 41 successful 2014. He completed implicit 300 technological experiments during his 165-day mission, including astir 13 hours arsenic pb spacewalker.

Widowed successful 2020, helium considers raising his 2 daughters arsenic a azygous genitor the top situation and astir rewarding signifier of his life. He often shares tiny idiosyncratic touches, similar his girl secretly putting cookies successful his suitcase earlier a abstraction mission.

Pilot Victor Glover: The “Know-It-All” Who Went From Iraq to the ISS
Born April 30, 1976, successful California. Inspired by a shuttle motorboat astatine property 10, Glover initially wanted to beryllium a stuntman, constabulary officer, firefighter, oregon contention car driver. He excelled successful sports and subject successful schoolhouse and studied engineering astatine California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.

He joined the Navy, earned the telephone motion “IKE” (I Know Everything), and flew dozens of aircraft, including F/A-18s implicit Iraq. He completed a master’s successful systems engineering successful 2009 and was selected arsenic a NASA astronaut successful 2013, 1 of 8 chosen from 6,300 applicants.

Glover has flown 4 spacewalks, served arsenic CapCom, and spent 168 days successful abstraction during Crew Dragon missions. He emphasizes mentorship, attraction to detail, and staying connected to family.

Christina Koch: The Only Woman connected the Mission Who Lived astatine the South Pole
Born January 29, 1977. Koch loved exploration from a young property and pursued subject and mathematics studies successful precocious schoolhouse and university. She worked arsenic an electrical technologist for NASA, participated successful Antarctic research, and aboriginal joined NOAA.

Selected arsenic a NASA astronaut successful 2013, she completed her astronaut grooming successful 2015. She flew her archetypal long-duration ngo to the ISS successful 2018 and holds the grounds for the longest continuous spaceflight by a pistillate astatine 328 days. She participated successful the archetypal all-women spacewalks and present serves successful enactment and method roles astatine Johnson Space Center.

Koch emphasizes pursuing meaningful, passion-driven enactment and aims to assistance humanity instrumentality to the Moon and yet research Mars.

Jeremy Hansen: The First Non-American Astronaut to Fly to the Moon, Bringing Pendants for His Family
Born January 27, 1976, successful Ontario, Canada. Hansen grew up connected a farm, joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadets astatine property 12, and earned his pilot’s wings astatine 16. He studied abstraction subject astatine Canada’s Royal Military College and became a CF-18 combatant pilot.

Joining the Canadian Space Agency successful 2009, Hansen has trained caller astronauts astatine NASA’s Johnson Space Center since 2014. He is joined with 3 children and enjoys sailing, climbing, and upland biking. Hansen volition instrumentality 4 moon-shaped pendants engraved with “Moon and back” for his woman and children, arsenic good arsenic maple syrup and cookies for the mission.

The Artemis II astronauts—Wiseman, Glover, Koch, and Hansen—are embarking connected a historical journey, investigating quality endurance and spacecraft systems portion marking humanity’s archetypal crewed lunar flyby successful implicit 50 years.