The flight and systems engineer victor glover, will be part of the team of astronauts who will venture around the moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA's path to establishing a long-term presence on the Moon for science and exploration via Artemis.
The native of Pomona, California, will pilot the ship that will carry the four astronauts - three of them Americans and one Canadian - thus marking a new milestone, being the first Afro-descendant to have a mission to the moon.
The announcement was made jointly by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency ?CSA, for its acronym in English? Monday morning, during an event at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The mission will be Glover's second spaceflight, previously serving as a pilot on NASA's SpaceX Crew-1, which touched down on May 2, 2021, after 168 days in space. As a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 64, he contributed to scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, and participated in four spacewalks.
Crew assignments are as follows: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. They will be the ones to work as a team to execute an ambitious series of demonstrations during the flight test.
“The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people who work tirelessly to take us to the stars. This is your crew, this is our crew, this is humanity's crew," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during the presentation.
“NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen each have their own story, but together they represent our creed: E pluribus unum, out of many, one. Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star navigators and dreamers: the Artemis Generation."
The approximately 10-day Artemis II flight test will launch on the agency's powerful Space Launch System rocket, test the Orion spacecraft's life support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques necessary for humans to live and work in the deep space.
The flight, which will build on the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission completed in December 2022, will set the stage for the first woman and first person of color to land on the Moon through the Artemis program, paving the way for future missions. of long-term human exploration to the Moon and eventually to Mars. This is the agency's Moon-to-Mars exploration approach.
“For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals, the Artemis II crew, will be the first humans to fly near the Moon. Among the crew are the first woman, the first person of color and the first Canadian on a lunar mission, and the four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all," said NASA Director Vanessa Wyche. Johnson.
"This mission paves the way for the expansion of human exploration of deep space and presents new opportunities for scientific discovery, commercial, industrial and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation," he added.
"I couldn't be more proud to have these four brave men embark on our journeys to the Moon and beyond," said Director of Flight Operations Norm Knight, NASA Johnson.
“They represent exactly what an astronaut corps should be: a mix of highly capable and accomplished individuals with the skills and determination to face any test as a team. The Artemis II mission will be challenging and we will test our limits as we prepare to take future astronauts to the Moon. With Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy at the controls, I have no doubt that we are ready to face any challenge that comes our way."
Notably, through the Artemis missions, NASA will use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.
This collaboration with commercial and international partners will establish the first long-term presence on the Moon, and will use what has been learned about the Moon and its surroundings to take the next big leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.
Victor J. Glover, Jr. was selected as an astronaut in 2013 while serving as a legislative member in the United States Senate. He most recently served as pilot and second in command on Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which landed on May 2, 2021.
It's the first post-certification mission for SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft — the second crewed flight for that vehicle, and a long-duration mission aboard the International Space Station. He served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station for Expedition 64.
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