HOUSTON: On Monday, Nasa announced the crew for its first human mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, which includes a first black man and woman ever to travel deep into space.
On the Artemis II mission around the Moon next year, Christina Koch, a Nasa astronaut who holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, will serve as a mission specialist.
Victor Glover, a naval aviator for NASA, will take command of the Orion spacecraft in November 2024, making him the first black man to participate in a lunar mission.
Balancing the team are veteran Nasa space traveler Reid Wiseman, 47, the mission officer, and Jeremy Hansen, likewise 47, a previous military pilot now with the Canadian Space Organization.
Since the historic Apollo missions ended in 1972, the three Americans and one Canadian astronaut will be the first to go that far into space.
The Artemis II mission serves as a prelude to a subsequent mission to Mars and the first human return to the Moon in half a century.
The Canadian mission specialist Hansen will be making his first space flight, while the three American astronauts have all spent time on the International Space Station (ISS).
Bill Nelson introduced the four astronauts who would be part of the mission and the astronauts were wearing blue flight suits. He added that the launch vehicle is the most powerful ever built in the world. Koch has been part of the all female spacewalks in ISS and has spent almost 11 months in the space. She added that she is absolutely overjoyed.
This mission is important to NASA as it is a prelude to the mars mission that will be happening after this. It is learnt that NASA wants to send humans to mars which has been the basic premise for Elon Musk's SpaceX.
Experts say that having a lunar base in moon is important to be the first step in exploring mars missions. Lunar base can act as the buffer between Earth and Mars.
We believe we are very close to living the science fiction which has been prominent on the movie screens as we are closer to exploring the solar system on our own. It is also to be noted that only 12 men have walked the moon as of now and all white. This makes this mission a very important one for NASA for multiple reasons. All the best from us to them!