--- title: "NASA Finalizing Secretive Decision on First Astronauts for the Artemis Moon Mission" description: "As the Artemis mission's 2024 launch date steadily approaches, NASA is undertaking its secretive selection process to decide who will be sent to the Moon." date: "2023-01-30" modified: "2023-01-30" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-finalizing-artemis-astronauts" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "artemis" - "astronauts" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # NASA Finalizing Secretive Decision on First Astronauts for the Artemis Moon Mission ![As the Artemis mission's 2024 launch date steadily approaches, NASA is undertaking its secretive selection process to decide who will be sent to the Moon.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Shortlisted As NASA's Artemis program [plods toward a followup mission](), the agency is undertaking its secretive selection process to decide who will be sent to the Moon for the first time in 50 years. Per a [*CNN* report](), the agency isn't quite ready to name any names until "sometime in the spring" for the mission that will first see a crewed orbital mission in 2024 and then a Moon landing the following year. The entire process of astronaut selection is extremely clandestine, but the news outlet was able to glean an inside look at the selection process by interviewing nearly a dozen former and current NASA officials and found out who's on the agency buzz shortlist: decorated [naval aviator Reid Wiseman]() as the probable chief of the mission; [Christina Koch and Jessica Meir](), the first women to ever do an all-female space walk; Army [pilot Anne McClain](), [Stephanie Wilson](), who's the most senior astronaut of the bunch; and [Jeremy Hansen](), who might fill the single Canadian seat on the internationally-funded mission. ## Covert Concerns As former NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman told *CNN*, the final selection process can end up being surprisingly petty. "The problem is it can be influenced by trivial things, like what size spacesuit you wear. If there is only a medium and a large and you need the extra-large, you’re screwed. You’re not going to get assigned to the mission," he said. "It can be crazy, little things that dictate how it all comes out and it’s not always the most equitable or transparent process." The flight assignment process apparently used to be even more mystery-shrouded, but as *CNN* notes, astronauts still have to wait along with everyone else to learn who will be sent up — a nail-biting prospect if there ever was one, especially on a mission as important as historic as Artemis. "This is a special and unique opportunity," Reisman, the potential chief of the mission, said, "and, frankly, I’m going to be super jealous of whoever they pick." And even though it sounds like a [mighty difficult job]() that carries some pretty [freaky health risks](), we're honestly kind of envious too. **More on Artemis:** [*The Head of NASA Is Scared Chinese Astronauts Will Seize Portions of the Moon*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()