The Artemis 2 crew—NASA astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—launched recently aboard the Orion spacecraft for a 10-day mission flying around the Moon, humanity's first lunar trip with astronauts in over 50 years.
Commander Reid Wiseman (born 1975 in Maryland), a 50-year-old former Navy test pilot and ISS veteran, leads the mission. He is the father of two daughters; his wife passed away in 2020.
Christina Koch (born 1979 in Michigan) is the first woman on a NASA lunar mission. She holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days) and lives in Texas with her husband.
Victor Glover (born 1976 in California) is the first person of color assigned to a lunar mission and has four daughters.
Jeremy Hansen (born 1976 in Ontario) marks Canada's first astronaut on a lunar mission, having waited more than 15 years for his spaceflight opportunity.
The crew has been warmly praised by German astronauts Alexander Gerst and Matthias Maurer. "I know them all well. That's a super crew," Gerst told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. Having worked with Wiseman on the ISS, he described him as a "really great guy." Maurer called the team "great" and a "small family," noting he has known Glover since their studies and expressing joy for Hansen.
