BILLINGS — NASA's Artemis II mission is set to launch in 2024 and will be the first mission to send a crew to the moon's vicinity since 1972.
Of the four members selected to be on the Orion spacecraft, Christina Koch will make history as the first woman on a lunar mission. Victor Glover, the pilot selected for the mission, will also be making history as the first black astronaut on a lunar mission.
“If we are going to answer humanity's call to explore, we are going to need to do it for all and by all. We are actually more successful, and this is shown by research, when all ideas that come from hard work, skill and talent are allowed on the table. Where everyone who dares to dream and is willing to work hard for that dream has a place at the table,” Koch said recently.
Koch has been a NASA astronaut since 2013. She set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.
“What many people don’t know is that that spacewalk was extremely special in and of itself because it was a contingency spacewalk. It was never planned; we went out there to fix something that had broken...And no one had expected that to happen. What normally takes years to develop a spacewalk, we did in one week,” she said.
Right before being selected as a NASA astronaut, Koch was residing in Livingston.
“I drove my Honda Civic from Livingston to Houston, Texas when I became an astronaut. So, I miss the mountains. I miss the adventure there. I have great friends there. I do return, I try to get back at least every year to see people and get some time in the mountains,” Koch said. “I learned to ice climb in Montana, which I really loved. It’s a huge challenge and I think taking on challenges like that actually helped in what became an astronaut career.”
Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will be mission specialists on Artemis II. The commander will be Reid Wiseman.
The Artemis II mission is set to be a 10-day flight that will fly around the moon once but not land.
“As we go forward, everything we train on, how can we make this mission most successful and it’s going to take a lot of teamwork. And it’s going to take thinking outside the box and that to me is a really exciting challenge,” Koch said. “Do what scares you. If there is something out there that scares you, it’s probably intriguing to you. It’s probably something that you think is just outside of your reach. But when you go for that and whether you fail along the way and eventually achieve it, you will find the most fulfillment.”
