While the POT stays on edge for the mission Artemisthe space agency is preparing to select the crew for the second Artemis mission, which would have gender parity according to astronaut chief Reid Weisman.
The person in charge of choosing the four people who will fly on the Artemis 2noted: “We have 42 active astronauts here in Houston and 10 astronaut candidates that will be opening the door for Artemis 2 and beyond.”
He added: “We have equalized all radiation limits. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man, if you’re a woman, it’s exactly the same. Our ultimate goal is for the crew to be half men, half women.”
“If we can’t make these spaceships are fair so we need to look at our systems and reassess,” he admitted, noting that the astronaut corps includes people with ages ranging from late 20s to mid 60s.
“As long as you’re healthy, we’ll load you on a rocket and take you off the planet.”, smiled Weisman, who marked that the names of the chosen men and women would be known “by the end of this year”.
That mission is expected to launch not before 2024. Artemis 2 will be Orion’s first manned flight, circling the moon in a flight that it will last about 10 days.
The crew of four will include a canadian astronaut as part of a 2020 agreement between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, which includes the Canadarm3 robotic arm for the Lunar Gateway.
by RN
