Who NASA Chose For Its Artemis III Crew and What Their Mission Is

NASA revealed on Tuesday the four astronauts who will make up the crew of Artemis III.The four crew members are all men, three of whom are American and one who is Italian: commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, mission specialist Andre Douglas, and mission specialist Frank Rubio. The backup crew member, Bob Hines, is also American.NASA officials also shared new details about the Artemis III mission during an event on Tuesday, including the role the Blue Origin lander will play in the lunar mission. While NASA and Blue Origin officials acknowledged the recent New Glenn rocket explosion that damaged Blue Origin’s launchpad, they expressed optimism about the upcoming mission, which is scheduled to take place in 2027.“While we recognize there are questions about how Blue Origin’s recent anomaly impacts our plans, setbacks are a learning opportunity,” Jeremy Parsons, the Acting Assistant Deputy Associate Administrator for the Moon to Mars Program Office at NASA, said during Tuesday’s event. “We are confident that New Glenn will be ready for Artemis III, together with Blue Origin.”Here’s what to know about the Artemis III crew members and the moon mission.Randy BresnikBresnik will be the commander of the Artemis III mission. Bresnik, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel, was selected as an astronaut in 2004, according to NASA. He was previously the commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 53 in 2017. Over the course of his career, he has logged more than 7,000 hours in nearly a hundred types of aircrafts, rotorcrafts, and…

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