NASA has announced its team for the upcoming lunar mission, and for the first time in history, a woman and a man of color will fly to the moon. As a result of the team’s efforts, diversity and representation in space exploration are marked by the presence of Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, the world record-holder for the longest spaceflight by a woman, Victor Glover, an African-American naval aviator, and Jeremy Hansen, a former fighter pilot from Canada.
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The mission, set to take place in late 2024, will see the team of four become the first crew in NASA’s new moon program, Artemis, flying in NASA’s Orion capsule. While it will not land on the moon or go into lunar orbit, the team will fly around the moon and return to Earth, paving the way for a lunar landing by two astronauts a year later.
Glover’s inclusion in the team is a significant move towards cultural diversity in the space field. As per NASA’s statistics, only 11.83 percent of the workforce is Black, 5.79 percent Latino, and 6.25 percent Asian, while 74.60 percent is white. The presence of Koch, meanwhile, is a significant milestone for gender equality in the workplace and NASA as an organization, which has only selected 61 women from its 360 astronaut candidates since its inception.
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As the Artemis program moves forward, there is potential for more progress toward diversity and representation in space exploration. With no women have set foot on the moon to date, the program presents the possibility of a woman finally walking on the lunar surface.
The team’s announcement is a significant achievement for NASA and the representation of underrepresented groups in the space industry. It sets a new standard for diversity in space exploration and inspires future generations to pursue their dreams of exploring the unknown.