1st moon crew in 50 years includes Black, woman, Canadian astronaut

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NASA has announced the four astronauts who will fly around the moon late next year, including the first African American, the first woman, and the first Canadian assigned to the mission.

First moon crew in 50 years

The first moon crew in 50 years was introduced during an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen, will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during the flight test.

Historic mission

The flight will set the stage for the first woman and first person of color on the Moon through the Artemis program, paving the way for future for long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars.

“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. “This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation.”

Launch date

Artemis II is set to take off around November 2024. The crew members, strapped inside the Orion spacecraft, will launch atop a NASA-developed Space Launch System rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission is expected to last about 10 days and will send the crew out beyond the moon, potentially further than any human has traveled in history.