The four astronauts who made history aboard the Artemis II lunar flyby mission are set to receive the United States’ highest space honour, NASA has announced. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on 28 August at a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.&nbsp;According to NASA, only 30 astronauts have previously received the prestigious honor. The recipients include Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, and John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit Earth before later serving four terms in the US Senate. Despite the medal’s name, the four Artemis II astronauts were selected by President Donald Trump after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recommended them for the award.&nbsp;The Artemis II crew made history during their 10-day mission, which began on 1 April. The astronauts traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them, surpassing the distance record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970. During their journey around the Moon, Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen reached 252,756 miles (406,771km) from Earth. That exceeded Apollo 13’s previous record of 248,655 miles and marked another major milestone in the US effort to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars.&nbsp;Reflecting on the mission after the crew safely returned to Earth, Wiseman said: “This was not easy,” Wiseman said to reporters after the Artemis II mission safely ended with a textbook splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. “Before you launch, it feels like it’s the greatest dream on Earth. And when you’re out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It’s a special thing to be a human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.”&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ramageddon-memory-cost-crisis-squeezes-it-firms-as-ai-demand-fuels-global-chip-crunch-1787487274970">RAMageddon: Memory cost crisis squeezes IT firms as AI demand fuels global chip crunch</a>&nbsp;The medal ceremony is taking place four months after Trump welcomed the Artemis II astronauts to the White House. During that event, the president, who turned 80 in June, praised the crew and said: “I would have had no trouble making it, I’m physically very, very good.” NASA has listed the ceremony as beginning at 11am, with a livestream of the event available through NASA’s website. The recognition comes as the Trump administration seeks significant reductions to NASA’s budget. The administration has proposed a 23% overall cut to NASA funding for the 2027 fiscal year, which begins on 1 October, including a proposed 46% reduction in space science spending.&nbsp;However, a House commerce, justice and science subcommittee led by Trump’s Republican Party has advanced an alternative NASA funding proposal that would preserve several science programmes targeted for cuts by the administration. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor has previously been awarded to astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire and in the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, as well as other pioneering spacefarers.&nbsp;Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken were the most recent astronauts selected for the honor before the Artemis II crew. In 2020, Hurley and Behnken became the first astronauts to launch into orbit aboard a commercial spacecraft. They received their medals in 2023 during the presidency of Joe Biden.

Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on 28 August

The four astronauts who made history aboard the Artemis II lunar flyby mission are set to receive the United States’ highest space honour, NASA has announced. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will receive the Congressional Space Medal of Honor on 28 August at a ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. According to NASA, only 30 astronauts have previously received the prestigious honor. The recipients include Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the Moon, and John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit Earth before later serving four terms in the US Senate. Despite the medal’s name, the four Artemis II astronauts were selected by President Donald Trump after NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman recommended them for the award. The Artemis II crew made history during their 10-day mission, which began on 1 April. The astronauts traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them, surpassing the distance record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970. During their journey around the Moon, Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen reached 252,756 miles (406,771km) from Earth. That exceeded Apollo 13’s previous record of 248,655 miles and marked another major milestone in the US effort to return humans to the Moon and eventually send astronauts to Mars. Reflecting on the mission after the crew safely returned to Earth, Wiseman said: “This was not easy,” Wiseman said to reporters after the Artemis II mission safely ended with a textbook splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. “Before you launch, it feels like it’s the greatest dream on Earth. And when you’re out there, you just want to get back to your families and your friends. It’s a special thing to be a human, and it’s a special thing to be on planet Earth.” Also Read: RAMageddon: Memory cost crisis squeezes IT firms as AI demand fuels global chip crunch The medal ceremony is taking place four months after Trump welcomed the Artemis II astronauts to the White House. During that event, the president, who turned 80 in June, praised the crew and said: “I would have had no trouble making it, I’m physically very, very good.” NASA has listed the ceremony as beginning at 11am, with a livestream of the event available through NASA’s website. The recognition comes as the Trump administration seeks significant reductions to NASA’s budget. The administration has proposed a 23% overall cut to NASA funding for the 2027 fiscal year, which begins on 1 October, including a proposed 46% reduction in space science spending. However, a House commerce, justice and science subcommittee led by Trump’s Republican Party has advanced an alternative NASA funding proposal that would preserve several science programmes targeted for cuts by the administration. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor has previously been awarded to astronauts who died in the Apollo 1 fire and in the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters, as well as other pioneering spacefarers. Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken were the most recent astronauts selected for the honor before the Artemis II crew. In 2020, Hurley and Behnken became the first astronauts to launch into orbit aboard a commercial spacecraft. They received their medals in 2023 during the presidency of Joe Biden.

Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen will receive the congressional space medal of honour

Artemis II crew to receive congressional space medal of honour from President Trump

NASA introduced the four astronauts of the next Artemis moon programme mission on Tuesday, kicking off a year or more of mission-specific training for the Artemis III crew. They are expected to launch into Earth orbit next year to test rendezvous and docking procedures with moon landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin – a critical milestone before the US can send astronauts back to the moon for landing in 2028.&nbsp;NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the crew members at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. They include Commander Randy “Komrade” Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, mission specialist Frank Rubio, and mission specialist Andre Douglas.&nbsp;<h2>Who are the four astronauts on Artemis III mission?&nbsp;</h2>&nbsp;Andre Douglas is a first-time space flier; Frank Rubio is a record-setting astronaut; while Randy Bresnik is a veteran flier and test pilot. Luca Parmitano is an Italian astronaut who is with the European Space Agency. Bob Hines was named the backup crew member.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-shot-our-apache-helicopter-near-hormuz-says-trump-promises-us-will-respond-to-attack-1781025820005">Iran shot our Apache helicopter near Hormuz, says Trump, promises ‘US will respond to attack’</a>&nbsp;Bresnik, 58, a former Marine fighter pilot and “TOPGUN” graduate who logged 149 days in space during a space shuttle flight in 2009 and a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station in 2017.&nbsp;“We are certainly humbled, being that unifying link between the phenomenal Artemis II mission we just had two months ago and the Artemis IV mission that will follow ours, where we will again ... land humans on another celestial body,” Bresnik told the crowd at the Johnson Space Centre.&nbsp;<h2>Artemis III to serve as precursor mission to moon landing</h2>&nbsp;Artemis III will serve as a precursor mission to a moon landing and will test out how the NASA-built Orion spacecraft will dock with a lunar lander. The primary goal of the flight is to “reduce risk” heading into an actual lunar touchdown, which NASA hopes will take place as soon as 2028.&nbsp;Launching atop a Space Launch System rocket in an Orion capsule, the crew will practice chasing down one moon lander at a time to make sure rendezvous and docking procedures work as planned before a future moon landing when those procedures will have to be carried out in lunar orbit.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hope-pak-is-held-accountable-for-misdeeds-india-condemns-massacre-of-kashmiris-in-pok-1781008180684">‘Hope Pak is held accountable for misdeeds’: India condemns massacre of Kashmiris in PoK</a><h2>Crew will carry out a mission similar to NASA’s Apollo 9 flight in 1969</h2>&nbsp;The Artemis III crew will carry out a mission similar to NASA’s Apollo 9 flight in March 1969, when three astronauts tested the spindly lunar excursion module in Earth orbit. That flight came after a successful lunar orbit mission, Apollo 8, at the end of 1968.Then the Apollo 10 flight tested the lunar module in orbit around the moon before Apollo 11 finally made the first moon landing in the Sea of Tranquility in July 1969.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-sanctions-irgc-navy-unit-2-iranians-over-crippling-strait-of-hormuz-blockade-1780933198425">EU sanctions IRGC Navy unit, 2 Iranians over crippling Strait of Hormuz blockade</a>&nbsp;Jeremy Parsons, a senior manager in NASA’s “Moon to Mars” programme office, said, “every aspect” of the Artemis III mission “will give us insight into how to refine our plans for Artemis IV and beyond, and buy down risk.”Toward the end of Tuesday’s ceremony, Wiseman passed a symbolic baton to Bresnik, a handoff from one crew to the next in NASA’s drive to return astronauts to the surface of the moon.&nbsp;“Randy, in your comments, I really loved when you said that you all are the link from (Artemis) II to the surface, and that really resonated with me,” Wiseman said. “And you guys know, we’ve been carrying these batons around for way too long. So with that, the Artemis II crew, Komrade, hands you the baton. You’ve got the controls.”

The Artemis III crew will carry out a mission similar to NASA’s Apollo 9 flight in March 1969, when three astronauts tested the spindly lunar excursion module in Earth orbit. Then the Apollo 10 flight tested the lunar module in lunar orbit before Apollo 11 finally made the first moon landing.

NASA introduced the four astronauts of the next Artemis moon programme mission on Tuesday, kicking off a year or more of mission-specific training for the Artemis III crew. They are expected to launch into Earth orbit next year to test rendezvous and docking procedures with moon landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin – a critical milestone before the US can send astronauts back to the moon for landing in 2028. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the crew members at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston. They include Commander Randy “Komrade” Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, mission specialist Frank Rubio, and mission specialist Andre Douglas. Who are the four astronauts on Artemis III mission? Andre Douglas is a first-time space flier; Frank Rubio is a record-setting astronaut; while Randy Bresnik is a veteran flier and test pilot. Luca Parmitano is an Italian astronaut who is with the European Space Agency. Bob Hines was named the backup crew member. Also Read: Iran shot our Apache helicopter near Hormuz, says Trump, promises ‘US will respond to attack’ Bresnik, 58, a former Marine fighter pilot and “TOPGUN” graduate who logged 149 days in space during a space shuttle flight in 2009 and a long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station in 2017. “We are certainly humbled, being that unifying link between the phenomenal Artemis II mission we just had two months ago and the Artemis IV mission that will follow ours, where we will again ... land humans on another celestial body,” Bresnik told the crowd at the Johnson Space Centre. Artemis III to serve as precursor mission to moon landing Artemis III will serve as a precursor mission to a moon landing and will test out how the NASA-built Orion spacecraft will dock with a lunar lander. The primary goal of the flight is to “reduce risk” heading into an actual lunar touchdown, which NASA hopes will take place as soon as 2028. Launching atop a Space Launch System rocket in an Orion capsule, the crew will practice chasing down one moon lander at a time to make sure rendezvous and docking procedures work as planned before a future moon landing when those procedures will have to be carried out in lunar orbit. Also Read: ‘Hope Pak is held accountable for misdeeds’: India condemns massacre of Kashmiris in PoK Crew will carry out a mission similar to NASA’s Apollo 9 flight in 1969 The Artemis III crew will carry out a mission similar to NASA’s Apollo 9 flight in March 1969, when three astronauts tested the spindly lunar excursion module in Earth orbit. That flight came after a successful lunar orbit mission, Apollo 8, at the end of 1968. Then the Apollo 10 flight tested the lunar module in orbit around the moon before Apollo 11 finally made the first moon landing in the Sea of Tranquility in July 1969. Also Read: EU sanctions IRGC Navy unit, 2 Iranians over crippling Strait of Hormuz blockade Jeremy Parsons, a senior manager in NASA’s “Moon to Mars” programme office, said, “every aspect” of the Artemis III mission “will give us insight into how to refine our plans for Artemis IV and beyond, and buy down risk.” Toward the end of Tuesday’s ceremony, Wiseman passed a symbolic baton to Bresnik, a handoff from one crew to the next in NASA’s drive to return astronauts to the surface of the moon. “Randy, in your comments, I really loved when you said that you all are the link from (Artemis) II to the surface, and that really resonated with me,” Wiseman said. “And you guys know, we’ve been carrying these batons around for way too long. So with that, the Artemis II crew, Komrade, hands you the baton. You’ve got the controls.”

The Artemis III crew will carry out a mission similar to NASA’s Apollo 9 flight in March 1969, when three astronauts tested the spindly lunar excursion module in Earth orbit. Then the Apollo 10 flight tested the lunar module in lunar orbit before Apollo 11 finally made the first moon landing.

NASA names four astronauts as crew members of Artemis III mission ahead of moon landing

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Artemis II crew to receive congressional space medal of honour from President Trump

NASA names four astronauts as crew members of Artemis III mission in 2027