Miami- The astronauts of the POTReid Wiseman and Victor Glover, two of the four crew members of the Artemis II mission who traveled to lunar orbit in April, will retire from space flights, the US space agency announced this Wednesday.
Wiseman, 50, mission commander, and Glover, 49, Orion capsule pilot, will serve as emeritus astronauts starting this month at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the agency announced in a statement.
This status is conferred on astronauts who wish to continue contributing to NASA missions, but without returning to space. Among its main functions will be the training of personnel for future launches, especially those towards the Moon.
“NASA gave me a tremendous amount of responsibility, supporting me through two space missions and my time as chief astronaut, and always being there for my family when we needed it most. I am excited to continue contributing to future missions and programs through the emeritus astronaut program,” Wiseman said.
Wiseman was recruited as an astronaut in 2009 after more than 20 years of experience in the Navy and made his first trip to space in 2014, when he spent 165 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Artemis II’s was his second space flight.
1/12 | This was the return of the Artemis II mission to Earth. The Integrity capsule landed safely in the Pacific Ocean, as scheduled. – Capture
From his new role he will share his experience regarding the Artemis III mission, which in 2027 will test the encounter and docking capabilities of the Orion spacecraft in Earth orbit.
The Artemis II mission was also the second experience in space for Glover, who became the first African American to travel to the orbit of the Moon, after being designated an astronaut in 2013.
“I am excited to continue supporting my colleagues and encouraging them on their path to the Moon. Together, we will continue to push boundaries and inspire the next great leap,” he said of his new position, from which he will support aerospace, leadership and public service initiatives during his transition inside and outside of NASA.
The other two members of Artemis II were NASA astronaut Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The four took off aboard the Orion capsule on April 1 from the NASA facilities at Cape Canaveral and returned to Earth on April 10.
During their time in space they not only became the first humans to reach lunar orbit since 1972, but they set a new record by traveling further from Earth than any other crew, while testing key technologies for future landings.