In case you are a space geek, there is some exciting news for NASA’s manned aircraft program which has lain dormant for years for you. This April, NASA prepares to send a group of four astronauts on a mission around the moon, which is expected to take around 10 days to complete.
The Astronauts
The commander of this mission will be fifty year old Reid Wiseman, born in Baltimore, Maryland. A fun fact about Wiseman is that before he became an astronaut he was actually a navy fighter pilot. The next person in is Victor Glover (49) who is the pilot of the mission. Something intriguing about Glover is that he was the first African American astronaut to be stationed on the ISS for a long-duration mission. Next up is Christina Koch (47), whose role is the mission specialist who is pretty much a jack of all trades aboard the spacecraft. Some things she may be asked to do is troubleshoot any issues that happen before, during or after takeoff. Last but not least, is Jeremy Hansen (50), who serves as the second mission specialist alongside Christina Koch.
About the mission
The mission was rescheduled and is set to launch no later than April 2026. The plan for this mission is to launch the Artemis II around the moon using both the gravity of the Earth and the Moon to guide its trajectory. The whole purpose of the mission is to test out key systems that would be needed to reach the moon again. While aboard the lunar module, the team of astronauts will conduct many different experiments in various areas of science, such as sleep, radiation, and effects of space travel on the human body. They will administer these studies while also maintaining constant communication with the ground crew, updating them on any issues they may face and helping improve future mission success. Upon re-entry to Earth, the Artemis II will reach speeds upwards of 25,000 miles per hour. The re-entry vehicle is set to land in the pacific ocean right off the coast of San Diego. After the touchdown, the crew will be greeted by NASA’s Exploration Ground systems program aboard the U.S. Navy ship
What comes next
NASA has many ambitious goals for the future of the Artemis program. One of them being Artemis III, which is planned to follow Artemis II’s success. The goal of Artemis III will be to put astronauts on the moon, which will be something we haven’t accomplished since Apollo 17 in 1972. Something that is different about this mission is that it will be the first time a woman or a person of color has walked on the moon. Although Artemis seems to be NASA’s main focus, it’s not the only thing they plan to pursue. Some of NASA’s future aspirations include South Pole exploration, sending humans to Mars, and the Gateway space station. As NASA continues to push to advance humankind to the furthest points of space exploration, all that’s left up to us is to sit back and watch our Star Trek fantasies come to life.
