Any astronaut can now go to the moon through NASA's Artemis Missions.
NASA has recently announced that it will consider every agency astronaut for its upcoming Artemis moon missions when it makes seating assignments, per Space.com.
As a result, the pre-determined Artemis team it put together in 2020 is now defunct in favor of choosing any of its 42 active astronauts.
NASA Artemis Moon Mission Opening Details
NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, the head of the astronaut office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, stated in a briefing on August 5 that any one of NASA's 42 active astronauts is eligible for an Artemis mission, in his opinion.
He also added that the agency wants to assemble "the right team" for the mission and that astronauts will be "beating down the door" to go to the moon on NASA's Artemis missions.
Wiseman's statement is a blow for the 18 astronauts already selected to go to the moon in Artemis' first crewed launch following its upcoming uncrewed launch, or the Artemis I mission.
According to NASA, the astronauts selected to participate in the crewed Artemis missions are the following:
- Joseph Acaba
- Kayla Barron
- Raja Chari
- Matthew Dominick
- Victor Glover
- Warren Hoburg
- Jonny Kim
- Christina H. Koch
- Kjell Lindgren
- Nicole A. Mann
- Anne McClain
- Jessica Meir
- Jasmin Moghbeli
- Kate Rubins
- Frank Rubio
- Scott Tingle
- Jessica Watkins
- Stephanie Wilson
With the abolition of the Artemis team, the 18 astronauts selected for the Artemis missions will have to apply to be in one of the mission's crewed launches again.
However, there is a good reason behind the abolition of the old Artemis team: the modification of NASA's lifetime radiation exposure requirements.
Wiseman mentioned that the previous requirements were "draconian" in that women astronauts face discrimination when they're being evaluated to go to space. In contrast, men are getting an easier time in their evaluation, allowing them to accumulate more radiation and more time in space.
With the modified lifetime radiation exposure requirements, active NASA astronauts aged between 20 and 60 now have equal chances to go to space, regardless of gender.
Thanks to the modification, NASA will retain its previous agenda to put the first woman and person of color on the surface of the moon.
Upcoming NASA Artemis Mission Details
With the completion of the SLS' wet dress rehearsal, NASA has given the green light for Artemis I to launch either on August 9, Sept. 2 or Sept. 5.
This mission will be uncrewed to test whether the Orion spacecraft is safe for astronauts to use. However, it won't be empty either.
A Shaun the Sheep plushie is expected to be inside the spacecraft, along with a manikin named Commander Moonikin Campos, named after Apollo 13 lunar module electrical power subsystem manager Arturo Campos/.
Should Artemis I be successful, the first crewed mission, Artemis 2, will follow suit, with it happening sometime in 2025.
