Almost 50 years have passed since the last time we landed on the moon when the three-person crew of NASA's Apollo 17 mission landed near the edge of an ancient lava sea called Mare Serenitatis.
Now, NASA is again bound to the lunar surface, launching a new mission called Artemis that could take astronauts back to the moon within this decade. This time, though, it's not just men making the journey: NASA hopes that the first woman to step on the moon will be on the inaugural Artemis flight to the surface.
The Women of Artemis
The 18 members of the Artemis Team of NASA were picked from the 47 astronauts currently active in the program. The collective was chosen for their varied backgrounds and abilities.
Nine of the 18 astronauts chosen are women.
One of the five NASA crew members now living and working in space is among the astronauts revealed today. Kate Rubins was chosen in the astronaut class of 2009 and arrived at the International Space Station in October for a six-month run.
The astronaut lineup of Artemis also includes Christina Koch, who was chosen to qualify as an astronaut in 2013 and traveled to space once, spending 328 days on the second-longest single flight of the American astronaut in 2019 and 2020. During her time in orbit, she took part in six spacewalks, including three with Jessica Meir, which were the first female spacewalks.
Anne McClain, who spent time in orbit with Koch on her first flight in 2018 and 2019, completed two spacewalks. McClain served in the Army before joining NASA.
The longest-serving astronaut in the Artemis corps is Stephanie Wilson, who was chosen in 1996 and made three space shuttle flights. Since her most recent orbital jaunt, she has served across the agency, both inside the Houston Astronaut Office and as a liaison for that office and others.
The astronaut cadre of Artemis also comprises four women who have not yet traveled into space.
Nicole Mann joined the astronaut corps in 2013 with Koch and Meir. Mann was based on the commercial crew program and is now preparing for her first mission, which will be the first crewed flight of Boeing's Starliner capsule to the International Space Station expected to take place next year.
Kayla Barron is a member of the newest batch of astronauts; she served in the Navy before entering NASA. She also conducted doctoral studies on nuclear reactors.
Barron's classmate, Jasmin Moghbeli, who was also chosen to join the Artemis astronaut cadre, served in the Marine Corps, including Afghanistan and California. Throughout her military career, she mostly flew helicopters.
The last of Artemis' latest announcements is Jessica Watkins, who has only finished astronaut training in 2019.
