NASA -- Fifty years after the Apollo Program ended, NASA is once again planning to set foot on the moon and they target to make it happen by 2024. They said this is to provide grounding on the testing of the new generation of space crafts that have since been developed and improved ahead of its mission to Mars.
The new program was named by NASA as the Artemis, after the twin sister of Apollo according to Greek Mythology. The space agency also announced that this mission will bring the first woman astronaut to the moon. Perhaps the only question left to ask if who will this first woman on the lunar surface be. No announcement has been made as to who has been chosen for this mission, but experts suggests that it might be taken from NASA's current roster of women astronauts. There are 12 of them but only one will be able to make it to the moon by 2024.
Their age ranges from 20 to 53 and most of them are scientists, medical doctors, military pilots and the like. All of them have been handpicked from among thousands who applied for the position back in the late 1990s. Astronauts and other space experts have been asked who their bet is. Most of them say that it could be anyone, but most predicted that it won't be someone new.
"Although there is nothing wrong about flying a rookie in space, it might be best to fly someone who has had the experience," said Eileen Collins. She flew and commanded several space shuttles from the 1990s and 2000s. "But if the NASA has enough astronauts, it would be best to take them instead. They would at least have an idea how they are to react once in space."
Ken Bowersox, a NASA senior officer agreed, that it would be best to have people who at least have had an experience being in outer space. This process would prove to be much easier as NASA already has a number of women astronauts with just enough experience. After all, when NASA was established as a space agency in 1958, it exclusively recruited people from the military, which then, was almost always a man.
All the people who have been to the moon between the years 1969 and 1972 were all men astronauts. It was only in 1983 that a woman was sent in space. Sally Ride was the first American woman in space.
Every woman in the current roster of NASA are all capable of being part of the new lunar challenge. The space agency NASA will have to make a thorough check to identify who among the 12 will be the best qualified.
