“A European will participate in NASA’s ‘Artemis’ project, marking the first crewed lunar exploration in half a century by the United States.”
“The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced on the 9th local time at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, that Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio have been selected as astronauts for the ‘Artemis III’ mission.”
“Bob Hines has been named as an alternate crew member in case of contingencies.”
“The most notable figure is Luca Parmitano, an astronaut of Italian nationality.”
“This marks the first time a member of the European Space Agency (ESA) is participating in the Artemis project.”
“Following Jeremy Hansen from Canada, who participated in the last ‘Artemis II’ mission representing his country, Parmitano becomes another non-American to join this project.”
“In 2013, Parmitano was the first Italian space agency engineer to undertake a long-duration mission on the International Space Station (ISS) and revisited the ISS in 2019 as an experienced astronaut.”
“He expressed his excitement by stating that Italy serves as the launch pad propelling him into space while the ESA acts as the launch tower connecting multiple nations.”
“Andre Douglas becomes the second Black astronaut to join this project following Victor Glover from ‘Artemis II.'”
“Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2021, this will be his inaugural space flight.”
“This time, there are no female astronauts included, nor any other people of color.”