NASA has picked the four astronauts that will go to the lunar orbit and come back with the Artemis 2 mission. This will be NASA’s first crewed voyage around the moon in more than 50 years. since the Apollo program.
The Artemis 2 crew includes commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen. Hansen is an astronaut from Canadian Space Agency (CSA), flying under an agreement between the United States and Canada. He will be the first non-American to leave Earth’s orbit and fly to the moon.
The announcement was made on Monday during a ceremony held at Ellington Field, near the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
According to Wiseman, three words sum up the announcement of the Artemis 2 crew – “We are going!”
Who is Reid Wiseman?
Reid Wiseman, full name Gregory Reid Wiseman, is an astronaut, engineer, and naval aviator. He will be the commander of the Artemis 2 mission. Previously, he lived and worked on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014.
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Prior to that, Wiseman headed the undersea research mission NEEMO21, a 16-day underwear mission that boosted space exploration. Until November 14, 2022, he served as the Chief of the Astronaut Office.
Reid Wiseman was born on November 11, 1975, in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Dulaney High School, Timonium.
He completed a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Subsequently, he earned a master’s degree in systems engineering from John Hopkins University in 2006.
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Reid’s mother, Judy, has died and his father, Bill, lives in Hunt Valley, Maryland. He was married to Carroll Taylor with whom he has two daughters. Carroll died at 46 in May 2017 following a five-year battle with cancer.
Following graduation, he was commissioned through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps. He reported to Pensacola, Florida for flight training. In 1999, he was promoted to Naval aviator and reported to Fighter Squadron 101 Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, for transition to the F-14 Tomcat.
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In June 2009, Wiseman was selected as one of nine members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. He reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 2009 and finished astronaut training in May 2011. He worked as the Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41. Wiseman commanded the NEEMO21 mission at the Aquarius Reef Habitat off Islamorada, Florida.
