First woman to land on the Moon: NASA names team of 18 astronauts
- Indian-American US Air Force colonel Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari has been named among the team of 18 astronauts who will train for NASA's Artemis moon-landing program.
NASA on Thursday introduced a team of 18 astronauts who will train for its Artemis moon-landing program. The lunar exploration programme will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024
Vice President Mike Pence introduced the astronauts on Wednesday at the close of his final meeting as chairman of the National Space Council. The announcement was made at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, beneath one of only three remaining Saturn V moon rockets from the 1960s and 1970s Apollo program.
Among the team of 18 astronauts, Indian-American US Air Force colonel Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari has also been named in the team.
Chari, 43, a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and US Naval Test Pilot School, is the only Indian-American in the list. He was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class.
Among those yet to rocket into space: Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Matthew Dominick, Woody Hoburg, Jonny Kim, Nicole Mann, Jasmin Moghbeli, Frank Rubio and Jessica Watkins.
In a tweet, this team asked people what they think the lunar expedition should look like.
While introducing the team, Pence said, “My fellow Americans, I give you the heroes of the future who will carry us back to the Moon and beyond: the Artemis Generation."
Pence noted that the last of the 12 men to walk on the moon, the late Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan, wanted nothing more than to remove “last” from his title. Cernan's final lunar footsteps were on Dec. 14, 1972.
“He spent the rest of his natural life advocating for America to go back to the moon, and we are going to honor Gene Cernan’s memory," Pence told the small crowd, seated several feet apart from one another.
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stressed there would be more astronauts joining the group. NASA has 47 active astronauts.
The space agency is aiming for a moon landing by 2024, although the chances of that happening are growing increasingly dim. The upcoming change in administration also adds uncertainty.
Half of the NASA astronauts have spaceflight experience. Two are at the International Space Station right now: Kate Rubins and Victor Glover.
The two astronauts who performed the world's first all-female spacewalk last year made the cut: Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.
It’s a fairly young group, with most in their 30s or 40s. The oldest is 55, the youngest 32. Only two — Joe Acaba and Stephanie Wilson — flew on NASA’s old space shuttles.
“The history is awesome, but we’re here to look toward the future,” Acaba told reporters after the announcement.
The other experienced members on the list include Kjell Lindgren, Anne McClain and Scott Tingle, all former space station residents.
“We are dreamers, but even more so, we’re doers," McClain said.
She wants children from all backgrounds to take note of the diverse lunar team: “The doors are open, come on after us.”
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First Published:11 Dec 2020, 10:50 AM IST
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