NASA is gearing up to achieve the historic milestone of landing the first woman and the first Black man on the Moon’s South Pole in 2024. NASA’s Artemis program, named after the Greek goddess and twin sister of Apollo, signifies a giant leap for womankind.
Christina Hammock Koch, a NASA astronaut and electrical engineer by profession, has been selected as the mission specialist for Artemis II. Christina already holds the record for the longest single space lift by a woman and is no stranger to pushing the boundaries of space exploration. Her enthusiasm for the project is palpable, stating, “Am I excited? Absolutely!”
Alongside her, Victor Glover, a naval aviator, will pilot the Orion spacecraft, becoming the first Black man to participate in a lunar mission. The crew, which also includes veteran NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and former fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency, will make history as the first humans to venture into deep space since the Apollo missions concluded in 1972.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson introduced this fantastic crew of Artemis II at an event at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, “The largest, most powerful rocket in the world is going to propel them onward and upward into the heavens,” Bill declared.
Artemis II, a 10-day mission, will not only mark a historic moment for gender equality in space but also serve as a crucial test for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems. Despite facing challenges, including technical and budgetary hurdles, NASA remains committed to its lunar mission. It is also working with other countries and private companies like SpaceX to make this happen.
To support longer stays on the Moon, NASA is also working on a lunar outpost called “the Gateway”. It’s like a space station around the moon and will be used for launching and supporting lunar missions. NASA is opening up new possibilities for future missions to Mars and beyond.
Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said, “We’re not only going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration, but we’re also gearing up for the first human steps on the Red Planet.”
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- Fizza Tanveer writes stories about history for The Feisty News. She resurrects lost stories with her pen-as-time machine. To her, history isn't mere facts and figures; instead, it's about understanding the past's impact on our world.
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