Why are there no women on the new Artemis III mission? This explains NASA

“In a world with so much controversy, I hope that this can be a moment in which we celebrate the selected astronauts, respect the integrity of the process and recognize the extraordinary depth of talent throughout the astronaut corps,” requested the leader of NASA, while ensuring that the selection of the crew “does not imply any political position.”

Thus, he detailed that the Astronaut Office “assigns the crew that gives the mission the best chance of meeting its objectives, taking into account many factors, including the background and experience of the astronauts, such as experience as a test pilot, development work on specific programs and availability.”

“For example, those raising this concern may not be aware of the pool of crews who are already preparing to launch to the Space Station, or who have been receiving Moon-specific training and who would be a better fit for a future surface mission,” Isaacman said.

The four people assigned to the crew are NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, commander; European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Luca Parmitano, pilot; NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, mission specialist; and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, also a mission specialist, while NASA astronaut Bob Hines is the crew alternate.

The crew, which includes a European for the first time on an Artemis mission, will immediately begin training on the Orion spacecraft systems and will also collaborate in the development and operations of test versions of the Blue Origin and SpaceX landers.

The Artemis III mission builds on the successful flight of Artemis II, which was completed in April, and will help NASA prepare to send the first astronauts to Mars.