Who are the astronauts of NASA's Artemis moon mission? Meet the crew
Four astronauts could soon board a spacecraft for NASA's first human moon mission in more than 50 years , during which they are due to fly farther than any deep-space explorers before them.
Traveling up to 6,000 miles beyond the lunar surface, the crew of a mission known as Artemis II will see parts of the far side of the moon that not even the Apollo astronauts witnessed .
And along the way, three of the four astronauts will break the spacefaring mold. Among the Artemis II crew will be the first Black man, the first woman and the first Canadian to ever fly on a moon mission.
While the astronauts won't be landing on the moon during the 10-day journey, their mission will prove crucial in paving the way for humans to set foot on the surface as early as 2028 under NASA's multibillion-dollar Artemis program . When they launch, they'll be the first astronauts to fly aboard the space agency's Orion capsule, which will hitch a ride to orbit atop the towering Space Launch System .
Interactive graphic: See how Artemis II crew will get to the moon, step-by-step
Ahead of the Artemis II rocket launch , meet the astronauts selected for the mission, targeted for liftoff Wednesday, April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Artemis II: What to know about NASA's historic moon launch
Commander Reid Wiseman
A decorated veteran Navy aviator, 50-year-old Reid Wiseman served on two deployments to the Middle East and trained as a test pilot before he was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2009.
Wiseman has been to space one other time. In 2014, Wiseman spent about six months at the International Space Station , where he completed two spacewalks and helped the crew set a station record by completing 82 hours of research in a single week.
Wiseman, a Baltimore native, is a single father of two children, having lost his wife Carroll Taylor Wiseman in 2020 to cancer.
Pilot Victor Glover
A Navy aviator and test pilot, Victor Glover , 49, was the pilot for the Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station. Launching in November 2020, the six-month mission was the first to the orbital outpost after the Dragon crew capsule was certified for spaceflight under a partnership between NASA and SpaceX .
The mission was the first and only spaceflight for Glover, who was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2013 .
Glover, a native of Pomona, California, holds several master's degrees and is married with four daughters .
Mission specialist Christina Koch
Hailing from Jacksonville, North Carolina, Christina Koch has already had a prolific, record-setting astronaut career .
First selected in the same astronaut class as Glover, Koch made history in 2019 when she conducted the first all-woman spacewalk at the International Space Station. On Oct. 28, 2019, Koch spent more than seven hours suited up and exposed to the vacuum of space with astronaut Jessica Meir, who is at the outpost again as part of the Crew-12 mission.
Koch spent almost all of 2019 in space during her first and only mission yet, setting a record for the longest spaceflight for any American woman at 328 days. Just three other NASA astronauts have been on longer single missions than she has.
Koch, 47, is also an avid amateur hobbyist, whose favorite activities include surfing, rock climbing and plenty more.
Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen
Canadian Jeremy Hansen , 50, is the only Artemis II crew member who will be making his first voyage to space.
With a background as a fighter pilot, Hansen was selected in 2009 for astronaut training with the Canadian Space Agency. Among his credentials, Hansen in 2017 became the only Canadian to lead a new group of NASA astronaut recruits.
A husband with three children, Hansen was raised on a farm in Ontario.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Artemis II astronauts will fly around the moon. Meet the crew
