The Diverse Crew of Artemis II

The crew of Artemis II, a space mission planned for November.

he National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has not been to the moon since 1972. They are planning on finally going back. In November, a spaceship will take off from Earth, travel around the moon, and return to Earth. The mission will be called Artemis II. Its crew will look much different from the crew that went to the moon in 1972.  

Early in April, NASA announced the crew for Artemis II. The crew consists of Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen. Christina Hammock Koch will be the first woman to fly that deeply into space. Victor Glover will be the first person of color to make the journey. Artemis II is part of a series of missions known as the Artemis program. Its goal is to make sure a moon landing is possible.  

The crew is not just diverse. It is multi-national. This means it has people from different countries. Jeremy Hansen is an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency. He is on the flight because Canada is helping the Artemis program. The program has an even bigger goal than the moon. After returning to the moon, Artemis is planning to set up a base there. This will help them get to Mars.  

To accomplish this goal, Artemis will need help from many nations in addition to Canada. Canada and many other nations have agreed to a basic set of principals known as the Artemis Accords. They ensure that nations will help each other as they explore deep space. 

What Do You Think? Have you ever worked on a project where you needed the help of others? How did you come up with a way to work with other people?  

Photo Credit: James Blair/NASA