WASHINGTON: NASA has unveiled the crew for its 1st human mission to the Moon in over fifty years –- including the first female and black man to take part in a lunar mission, AFP reported on Monday.
Three US citizens and one Canadian are going to fly around the Moon in upcoming year, becoming the 1st astronauts to venture that into the space since the historic Apollo missions completed in 1972.
1st human mission to the Moon
The flight Artemis II is scheduled to fly in November 2024 and is a preface to returning humans to the moon surface for the 1st time in a half century.
The three NASA astronauts — Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch — named to Artemis II have all visited the International Space Station (ISS) while Jeremy Hansen will be making his 1st space flight.
The four astronauts, dressed in blue suits, were introduced by administrator of NASA Bill Nelson at function at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
“The most powerful rocket in the globe is going to drive them, and we select to go to the Moon and Mars, Nelson said.
Electrical engineer Koch holds the record for the longest time spent in space by a female – eleven months — and also took part in the 1st all-female spacewalks while on the International Space Station. Koch said, “I am really excited”.
Wiseman was named commander of the space mission, in which the craft is going to circle the Moon but not land on it.
Glover the first Black man and he will spend time as a member of crew on the International Space Station, will be the pilot for the flight. Hansen and Koch will work as mission specialists.
