4 astronauts of the Artemis-2 lunar mission will prepare humanity for flights to Mars

The American space agency NASA and the Canadian space agency CSA presented 4 astronauts for the next mission of a flight around the moon – the crew of “Artemis-2” (Artemis II). So, Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen will make the flight next year.

The Artemis-2 mission, in particular, will use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. And also, according to NASA, it will cooperate with commercial and international partners. The results of the mission should help make “the next giant leap: send the first astronauts to Mars”, – informs NASA.

Astronauts will fly around the moon, which will be the first step to establish a long-term presence on the Earth’s satellite, the official website of the US space agency informs.

The crew members were formally introduced during an event near the Lyndon Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The four astronauts represent the hard work of thousands of people who “work tirelessly to get us to the stars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “This is the crew of humanity,” he added. And you can on the NASA website review a specially filmed video introducing the crew the day before.

The approximately 10-day test flight of the Artemis-2 mission will continue on the Orion spacecraft, which will launch the Space Launch System launch vehicle into orbit.

“We’re going back to the moon, and Canada is at the center of this exciting journey,” NASA quoted Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency, as saying. “Thanks to our long-standing collaboration with NASA, a Canadian astronaut [Джеремі Гансен] will fly on this historic mission. On behalf of all Canadians, I want to congratulate Jeremy for being at the forefront of one of the most ambitious human endeavors ever undertaken. Canada’s participation in the Artemis program is not only a defining chapter in our history in space, but also a testament to the friendship and close partnership between our two nations.”

Artemis-2, following on from the Artemis-1 mission that ended in December without astronauts on board, will pave the way for future long-duration human exploration missions to the moon, and eventually to Mars, NASA says.

“For the first time in more than 50 years, people will fly to the outskirts of the Moon. The crew includes the first woman, the first non-white person and the first Canadian astronaut,” says NASA Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche. For Kristina Koch, this is already the second space flight. She used to be like reported Voice of America, set the record for the longest stay by a woman in space (a total of 328 days) and participated in the first all-female spacewalks.

This trip will be the second in a row for Reed Wiseman (who spent more than 165 days in space in total) and Victor Glover. Canadian Armed Forces Colonel and former fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen makes his first space flight.