NASA has announced the four astronauts who will orbit the moon on the Artemis 2 mission, for the first time since Apollo

Among the four are Victor Glover who spent six months on the International Space Station, but at NASA for some reason they emphasize the color of his skin as well as Christina Hemock Cook - the first woman to fly to the lunar orbit

The crew of NASA's Artemis 2 mission (left to right): NASA astronauts Christina Hemock Cook, Reed Wiseman (seated), Victor Glover and Canadian space agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Credit: NASA

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency announced the four astronauts who will orbit the moon on Artemis 2, the first manned mission on NASA's orbit to establish a long-term presence on the moon for science and exploration using Artemis. The agencies unveiled the crew members Monday morning at an event at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"The Artemis 2 crew represents the thousands of people who work tirelessly to get us to the stars. It's their team, it's our team, it's humanity's team," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hemock Cook and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen each have their own story, but together they represent our motto: Out of Many One. Together we are opening a new era of exploration for a new generation of astronauts and star dreamers - the Artemis generation."

The roles of the crew members are as follows: Commander Reed Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hamock Cook and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. They will work as a team to run an ambitious series of demonstrations during the test flight.

The test flight of Artemis 2, which will last approximately ten days, will be launched on a Space Launch System rocket, will prove the life support systems of the Orion spacecraft and will attack the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.

"We are returning to space and Canada is at the center of this exciting journey," said François-Philippe Champagne, the minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency. "Thanks to our long-standing collaboration with NASA, a Canadian astronaut will fly on this historic mission. On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to congratulate Jeremy for being at the forefront of one of humanity's most ambitious missions ever. Canada's participation in the Artemis program is not only a defining chapter in our history in space, but also a testament to the close friendship and partnership between our two countries."

The flight, which will follow on from the successful Artemis 1 unmanned mission completed in December, will pave the way for the first woman and first non-white man on the moon under the Artemis program and pave the way for future long-duration manned exploration missions to the moon, and eventually to Mars. This is NASA's "Moon to Mars" exploration approach.

"For the first time in more than fifty years, these people - the Artemis 2 crew - will be the first people to fly close to the moon. The team members include the first woman, the first non-white person and the first Canadian on a lunar mission, and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all of us," said Vanessa Weish, director of the Johnson Space Center. "This mission paves the way for the expansion of manned exploration of deep space and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industrial and academic partnerships and the Artemis generation."

Meet the Artemis 2 astronauts

This will be Weizmann's second journey into space, after he was a flight engineer on the International Station on Expedition 41 from May to November 2014. Weizmann logged more than 165 days in space, including nearly 13 hours as a spacewalk leader on two forays outside the station. Prior to the appointment, Weisman was the head of the Astronaut Office from December 2020 to November 2022.

The mission will be Glover's second space flight, he was previously a pilot on NASA's SpaceX Crew-1 which landed on May 2, 2021 after 168 days in space. As a flight engineer on the space station on Expedition 64, he contributed to scientific investigations, technology demonstrations and participated in four spacewalks.

Also for Cook, the Artemis 2 mission will be the second space flight. She was a flight engineer on the space station on missions 59, 60 and 61. Cook set the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman with 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalks.

Hansen representing Canada flew into space for the first time. Hansen, a Canadian Army colonel and former fighter pilot, has a bachelor's degree in space science from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario and a master's degree in physics from the same institution in 2000, with a research focus on wide-field satellite tracking. He was one of two recruits selected by the Canadian Space Agency in May 2009 as part of the third Canadian Astronaut Recruitment Campaign and served as a communications officer at NASA's Mission Control Center in Johnson, and in 2017 he was the first Canadian assigned to manage a NASA astronaut rotation, and to manage the training of astronaut candidates from the United States and Canada.

"I am very proud of these brave four who will begin our journeys to the moon and beyond," said Norm Knight, director of flight operations at Johnson. "They are exactly what an astronaut staff should be: a mix of people with a lot of ability and expertise, and with the skills and determination to face any test as a team. The Artemis 2 mission will be challenging, and will test our limits as we prepare to land astronauts on the moon in the future. With Reed, Victor, Christina and Jeremy at the helm, I have no doubt that we are ready to face any challenge we come across."

As part of the Artemis missions, NASA will use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will cooperate with commercial and international partners and create the first long-term presence on the moon. Then we'll use what we learn on and around the moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• NASA and Axiom have unveiled the spacesuits that will be used by the astronauts who will land on the moon in Operation Artemis
• The Artemis program is progressing while dealing with budget constraints and inflation
• The Israel Space Agency and NASA sign a declaration of scientific cooperation in the Genesis 2 mission
• Israel joins the project to return to the moon - Artemis