Meet the Artemis II Astronauts Who Will Orbit the Moon

pcmag.com:

NASA this week named the four astronauts chosen to orbit the Moon during its upcoming Artemis II mission. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Hammock Koch from the US will join mission specialist Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for a 10-day flight test.

"The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement(Opens in a new window). "This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity's crew."

For the first time in more than 50 years, NASA will fly humans—including the first woman, person of color, and Canadian on a lunar mission(Opens in a new window)—to the Moon. Or at least in the vicinity.

Set to take off on NASA's Space Launch System rocket, they are tasked with testing the Orion spacecraft's life-support systems and validating "the capabilities and techniques required for humans to live and work in deep space," according to NASA. So, no pressure.

"All four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all," Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche said. "This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries; commercial, industry, and academic partnerships; and the Artemis Generation."

Wiseman, Glover, and Koch are well acquainted with outer space. Koch holds the record for longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days in space) and performed six spacewalks (including the first all-female excursion). Wiseman, meanwhile, spent six months aboard the ISS in 2014, logging more than 165 days in space—including almost 13 hours as lead spacewalker