NASA Picks Astronauts for New Moon

NASA Picks Astronauts for New Moon Missions

By Paul Rincon

announced by US Vice-

President Mike

Pence at an event in Florida. He said: "My fellow Americans, I give you the heroes of the future who will carry us back to the Moon and beyond." Speaking at the eighth National

Space Council

meeting at

Kennedy Space

Jessica Watkins is a member of the most recent astronaut class, selected for Center, NASA training in 2017. She is a NASA astronaut, geologist, aquanaut and former administrator international rugby player. Born: May 14, 1988 (age 32) in Gaithersburg, MD; Jim Bridenstine Education: University of California, Los Angeles · Stanford University said: "This is the fi rst cadre of our Artemis NASA HAS ANNOUNCED 18 ASTRONAUTS astronauts. I want to be clear, there's going to be who will travel to the Moon under the agency's more." Artemis programme. The US space agency plans to send a man and

They include individuals who have already woman to the Moon's south pole in 2024 for the travelled to the International Space Station, fi rst crewed landing since Apollo 17 in 1972. as well as new recruits who have never fl own in But this will be followed by further fl ights by space. astronauts travelling in a spacecraft called Orion,

The group includes the next man and fi rst woman which will be launched by a huge rocket called the who will walk on the lunar surface in 2024. Space Launch System (SLS).

The cadre of nine women and nine men were Bridenstine has said that NASA wants to establish

a "sustainable" programme of lunar exploration, including the construction of a lunar base.

The astronauts announced on Wednesday are: • Joseph Acaba. Astronaut selection: 2004.

Three fl ights - shuttle (2009), Soyuz (2012; 2018) • Kayla Barron. Astronaut selection: 2017. No fl ights • Raja Chari. Astronaut selection: 2017. No fl ights • Matthew Dominick. Astronaut selection: 2017.

No fl ights. • Victor Glover. Astronaut selection: 2013. One fl ight - Crew Dragon (2020) • Warren Hoburg. Astronaut selection: 2017. No fl ights • Jonny Kim. Astronaut selection: 2020. No fl ights • Christina Koch. Astronaut selection: 2013.

One fl ight - Soyuz (2019) • Kjell Lindgren. Astronaut selection: 2009. One fl ight - Soyuz (2015) • Nicole A Mann. Astronaut selection: 2013. No fl ights, assigned to Boeing Starliner crew • Anne McClain. Astronaut selection: 2013. One fl ight - Soyuz (2018) • Jessica Meir. Astronaut selection: 2013. One fl ight - Soyuz (2019) • Jasmin Moghbeli. Astronaut selection: 2017.

No fl ights • Kate Rubins. Astronaut selection: 2009. Two fl ights - Soyuz (2016; 2020) • Frank Rubio. Astronaut selection: 2017. No fl ights • Scott Tingle. Astronaut selection: 2009. One fl ight - Soyuz (2017) • Jessica Watkins. Astronaut selection: 2017.

No fl ights • Stephanie Wilson. Astronaut selection: 1996.

Three fl lights - shuttle (2006; 2007; 2010). www.bbc.com/news/scienceenvironment-55253932 Image credit: David Dehoyoos / NASA JSC, rengaconsulting.com