NASA Announces 4 New Astronauts Going to the Moon as the U.S. Sends 1st Lunar Expedition in 50 Years
For the first time in five decades, NASA is going back to the moon with the new moon program named Artemis, which is named after the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, which NASA previously used as its moon program. Now, they have named the four astronauts going on this historic lunar expedition. MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images

For the first time in five decades, NASA is returning to the moon with four new astronauts embarking on this historic lunar expedition.

The new lunar mission was named Artemis, the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, which NASA previously used in its moon program.

On Monday, NASA named the four astronauts, and they are comprised of three Americans and one Canadian. They will be NASA's first moon crew in 50 years.

The four astronauts were all introduced during a ceremony in Houston, Texas, where the famous NASA Mission Control is.

"This is humanity's crew," said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. The crew will include Commander Reid Wiseman and naval aviator Victor Glover, who will be the first African American man ever to set foot on the moon.

Christina Koch, who holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman, and former Canadian fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen will also be part of the crew.

Before the expedition, Wiseman, Glover, and Koch lived on the International Space Station. As the lone space rookie, this will be Hansen's first mission in space.

"This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate, and it's so much more than the four names that have been announced," said Glover as he was about to make history.

As for Hansen, he noted that he was grateful to be included. The Associated Press reported that the Canadian Space Agency managed to get a spot in the mission because it contributed big robotic arms on NASA's space shuttles and the space station. These robotic arms will also be used for the Artemis mission project.

Roles of the NASA Astronauts During the Artemis Moon Mission Revealed

According to the BBC, Reid Wiseman was a U.S. Navy pilot who served as the head of NASA's astronaut office for a time.

He will be the commander of this crew. Glover, a U.S. Navy test pilot who joined NASA in 2013, will be the mission pilot. Koch, an electrical engineer, will be the first woman on the moon.

Koch, who previously had a record-setting time in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk in October 2019, will serve as a "mission specialist." Hansen will also be a "mission specialist."

All in their 40s, they will be the first to fly NASA's Orion capsule. It will be launched atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in late 2024.

The crew will only fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth. It will be a prelude to a lunar landing by two others a year later.

NASA had already launched a total of six Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972, with 12 astronauts landing on the moon. They were all white men.

New NASA Spacesuits for the Moon Also Revealed

Before the crew was even announced, NASA had already revealed the new spacesuits the astronauts would wear in their lunar mission.

It will be a totally different spacesuit as it will not be those iconic puffy white moonsuits worn by Neil Armstrong and his fellow Apollo astronauts.

According to The Guardian, this newly designed next-generation spacesuit is "specially tailored and accessorized for the first astronauts expected to venture back to the moon's surface in the next few years."

The new suits are reportedly more streamlined and flexible than the old suits, with incorporate advances in life-support systems, pressure garments, and avionics.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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