Meet the Artemis crew in NASA’s first astronaut mission to the moon in more than a half-century

Artemis 2 crew members, from left, Mission Spc.

Jeremy Hansen, of Canada, Mission Spc.

Christina Koch, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover pose for a photo after the crew's arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Friday, March 27, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) 2026-03-28T12:01:56Z CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The four astronauts making NASA’s next lunar leap bear little resemblance to the Apollo era .

The Americans who blazed the trail to the moon more than half a century ago were white men chosen for their military test pilot experience.

This first Artemis crew includes a woman, a person of color and a Canadian, products of a more diversified astronaut corps.

None of them were alive during NASA’s storied Apollo program that sent 24 astronauts to the moon including 12 moonwalkers.

They won’t land on the moon this time or even orbit it, but the out-and-back journey will take them thousands of miles deeper into space than even the Apollo astronauts ventured, promising unprecedented views of the lunar far side.

Here’s a look at the Artemis astronauts whose mission aims to pave the path for future moon landings : Commander Reid Wiseman Leading the nearly 10-day mission is a widower who considers solo parenting — not rocketing to the moon — his biggest and most rewarding challenge.

Wiseman, 50, a retired Navy captain from Baltimore, was serving as NASA’s chief astronaut when asked three years ago to lead humanity’s first lunar trip since 1972.

His wife Carroll’s death from cancer in 2020 gave him pause.

He’d spent more than five months at the International Space Station in 2014, and his two teenage daughters, especially the older one, had “zero interest” in him launching again. “We talked about it and I said, ‘Look, of all the people on planet Earth right now, there are four people that are in a position to go fly around the moon,” he said. “I cannot say no to that opportunity.” The next day, homemade moon cupcakes awaited him, along with his daughters’ support.

The toughest part isn’t leaving them — “it’s the stress that I’m putting on them,” he said.

Open with his daughters about everything, he recently told them where he keeps his will.

Pilot Victor Glover As one of NASA’s few Black astronauts, Glover sees his presence on the mission as “a force for good.” The 49-year-old Navy captain and former combat pilot from Pomona, California, makes it a habit to listen to Gil Scott-Heron’s “Whitey on the Moon” and

原文链接: AP News