Artemis II Astronauts on Being Selected for Moon Mission Written 5 April 2023

CBS News reports that the crew of four astronauts who will fly by the moon in NASA’s first crewed moon mission in over 50 years was announced on Monday. The three Americans and one Canadian now begin their 18-month training program in preparation for the historic trip around the moon. Astronaut Victor Glover, who will be the first black astronaut to experience prolonged spaceflight, said of his selection that he won the “astronaut Powerball.” The crew’s mission “will mark them as part of an exclusive group of merely two dozen Americans who have had the rare opportunity to observe the moon up close.” While the chosen crew expressed humility and that the mission was bigger than the individuals involved, excitement was still the primary emotion of the day. Christina Koch, who will be the first female astronaut to orbit the moon, expressed the need for focus, and said of her inclusion, “We are taught as astronauts to turn that fear, as you may call it, and turn it into focus and our focus is 100% on being successful in this vehicle.”
Full Story (CBS News)
More Info (AIAA Statement, 3 April 2023)