Space Journey: A New Crew Heads for the Moon

The team that will circle the moon this year looks very different from the astronauts who first landed there in 1969. The group includes a woman, a person of color and a Canadian, reflecting the diversity of today’s space program. Commander Reid Wiseman, a 50‑year‑old former Navy captain and widower, leads the mission. He says the biggest challenge is not flying into space but balancing his responsibilities as a single parent. His daughters, who once had no interest in his career, now support him and help keep his focus on the mission’s importance. Pilot Victor Glover, a 49‑year‑old Navy captain and one of NASA’s few Black astronauts, sees his role as a chance to inspire others. He listens to music from the Apollo era to remember both successes and mistakes, and he is eager to pass on knowledge to future crews that will land on the moon in 2028.Mission specialist Christina Koch, an electrical engineer who spent a year on the International Space Station and set a record for women’s spaceflight, is ready for the short trip. She has already proven she can handle long stays in orbit and feels prepared to help her country’s first lunar emissary, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who is making his space debut. Hansen, a former fighter pilot and physicist, grew up on a farm in Ontario and now reflects on how much harder space travel is than it appeared from the ground. The crew’s journey will not include a lunar landing or even an orbit around the moon, but it will take them deeper into space than any Apollo mission. Their return trip promises unprecedented views of the far side of the moon, setting the stage for future explorers who will eventually step onto its surface.