NASA Invites Media to Speak with Artemis II Moon Crew, Recovery Team

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Feb 22, 2024, 15:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Media are invited to speak with the four Artemis II astronauts on Wednesday, Feb. 28, at Naval Base San Diego in California. The crew will fly around the Moon next year as part of NASA's Artemis campaign, marking the first astronauts to make the journey in more than 50 years.

Naval helicopters fly over a test version of NASA's Orion spacecraft and personnel involved in training activities in the Pacific Ocean in July 2023, in preparation for Artemis II. Teams from NASA, including the Artemis II crew, and the Department of Defense are training this month off the coast of San Diego to prepare to recover the astronauts and Orion when they return to Earth. Credits: NASA/Kenny Allen

NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense are conducting training with the crew in the Pacific Ocean to demonstrate the procedures and hardware needed to retrieve NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen after their approximately 10-day, 685,000-mile journey beyond the lunar far side and back.

The flight is the first crewed mission under NASA's Artemis campaign and will test the agency's Orion spacecraft life support systems needed for future lunar missions.

Attendees will be able to view hardware associated with the training, including a test version of Orion aboard the USS San Diego, and speak with other personnel from the agency and the Defense Department who are responsible for bringing the crew and the capsule to safety after the mission.

Media interested in attending must RSVP by 4 p.m. PST, Monday, Feb. 26, to Naval Base San Diego Public Affairs at [email protected] or 619-556-7359. The exact time of the planned afternoon Feb. 28 event is subject to the conclusion of testing activities.

Under Artemis, NASA will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration at the Moon, land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and prepare for human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.

For more about NASA's Artemis II mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/

SOURCE NASA