Meet NASA’s Artemis II crew, who will usher in a new era of deep-space exploration

Key Points:

• The Artemis II mission, set to launch as soon as April, will be the first human moon mission in over 50 years and features a diverse crew including the first woman, first person of color, and first Canadian to travel beyond low-Earth orbit.
• The crew consists of NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover (the first Black person in deep space), mission specialist Christina Koch (the first woman to go to the moon), and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who has no prior spaceflight experience.
• The 10-day, roughly 600,000-mile mission will test NASA’s new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket, exposing astronauts to high radiation levels and communication blackouts, highlighting the significant risks involved.
• Artemis II is a critical test flight that will orbit the moon but not land, serving as a precursor to Artemis III, which aims to land near the lunar south pole and establish sustainable human presence to enable future Mars exploration.
• Despite the mission's dangers, the astronauts emphasize the historic significance and camaraderie of the journey, with each bringing unique backgrounds and personal motivations to this pioneering deep-space expedition.