Four remarkable astronauts are gearing up to become the most closely watched space explorers since the Apollo era. As the crew of Artemis II, they will be the first humans to orbit the Moon in over half a century, paving the way for the next generation of deep-space exploration.
The history-making team features three NASA astronauts—Commander Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, and Victor Glover—joined by Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. While their resumes boast extraordinary achievements in engineering, science, and aviation, they are also spouses and parents trying to balance an epic cosmic adventure with the very real dangers of spaceflight.
Here is a closer look at the crew and the personal mementos they are taking on their lunar journey.
Reid Wiseman: The Commander
A former US Navy test pilot and veteran of the International Space Station, Reid Wiseman will command the pioneering flight of the Orion spacecraft. Curiously, despite a lifelong passion for aviation, Wiseman admits to having a fear of heights while on the ground.
Wiseman’s personal journey has been marked by profound resilience. Following the loss of his wife to cancer in 2020, the Baltimore native has been raising their two teenage daughters as a single father—a role he calls his greatest challenge and most rewarding experience. He has chosen not to sugarcoat the extreme risks of his upcoming mission, opting instead to have candid conversations with his children about trust documents, wills, and end-of-life preparations.
Despite holding the mission's highest rank, Wiseman remains remarkably humble, praising the drive and dedication of his crewmates. He views Artemis II not as a personal triumph, but as a crucial stepping stone toward eventually establishing habitats on the Moon and Mars. For his personal item, Wiseman is keeping it simple: a small notepad to document his thoughts while floating in the lunar orbit.
Christina Koch: Mission Specialist
Physicist and engineer Christina Koch is no stranger to breaking barriers. After joining NASA in 2013, she set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days) and took part in the first all-female spacewalk. Soon, she will add another historic milestone to her resume: the first woman to travel to the Moon.
Koch’s cosmic ambitions were ignited in her childhood bedroom by the iconic Apollo 8 "Earthrise" poster. Realizing that a human hand, rather than an automated machine, had captured the breathtaking image of Earth rising over the lunar horizon profoundly shifted her perspective on humanity's place in the universe.
To stay grounded during the mission, Koch is bringing handwritten notes from family and friends, providing a tactile link to her loved ones back home. However, she has playfully warned her husband that communication will be far more restricted than during her ISS tenure. There will be no casual calls from orbit to help him locate missing household items.
Jeremy Hansen: Mission Specialist
Former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen is preparing for his first-ever trip into space. By joining Artemis II, he will make history as the first non-American to travel to the Moon, a milestone he views as a powerful testament to modern international space cooperation.
Like Koch, Hansen’s dreams of spaceflight were sparked by Apollo-era photography. As a child in rural Canada, a picture of Buzz Aldrin on the Moon inspired him to transform his treehouse into a makeshift rocket ship. Today, as a married father of three, he is highly conscious of the anxiety his family faces. To help them prepare, Hansen recently sat down with his family to watch footage of the uncrewed Artemis I launch. He used the video to explain the explosive sounds of the engines and the intense, often frightening "worst-case scenario" jargon used by flight engineers, reassuring his kids that it is all a standard part of testing the boundaries of aerospace safety.
When he blasts off, Hansen plans to carry four Moon-shaped keepsakes to commemorate his family's shared sacrifice and support during humanity's triumphant return to the lunar surface.