On a Wednesday in December 2020, NASA stepped forward with a list of 18 astronauts chosen to prepare for missions back to the moon. It is a modest beginning to a long human effort: no one has walked on that silent world since Apollo 17 closed the chapter in 1972, and this roster is the first visible sign that the Artemis program intends to reopen it. The names themselves tell us less than the intention behind them, which is to bring people home to the lunar surface after nearly half a century away.
NASA Names 18 Astronauts to Train for Moon Missions, First Crewed Lunar Landings Since 1972
The next man and the first woman on the moon may be on this list
Mark
So what actually happened on Wednesday?
Mimi
NASA named 18 astronauts who will train for future moon missions. The goal is to put people on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
Mark
Why does 1972 matter so much?
Mimi
That's when the last crewed lunar landings ended, with Apollo 17. Nobody has been there since.
Luke
Worth being careful here. The source gives us the number 18 and the date. It doesn't name anyone on the list.
Mark
And the line about the next man and the first woman?
Mimi
Pence said it was amazing to think they're among the names just read.
Luke
That's a remark, not an assignment. Nothing in the reporting says who will fly or in what order.
Mark
Do we know when a landing might happen?
Luke
No. No timeline or training schedule appears in the source, so anything specific would be a guess.
Mimi
What we can say is that the roster exists and the stated aim is a return to the moon. The schedule is the next thing to watch.
Le Pouls
- NASA has announced 18 astronauts who will begin preparing for lunar missions, a fresh step after decades of silence on the moon.
- The shadow of 1972 hangs over the announcement, since Apollo 17 was the last time anyone set foot on the surface.
- Vice President Pence's excited reaction to the names being read out signals how much weight the moment carries.
- The roster is a group of trainees, not yet a flight crew, and the timeline for any landing remains unset and unannounced.
On a Wednesday in December 2020, NASA stepped forward with a list of 18 astronauts chosen to prepare for missions back to the moon. It is a modest beginning to a long human effort: no one has walked on that silent world since Apollo 17 closed the chapter in 1972, and this roster is the first visible sign that the Artemis program intends to reopen it. The names themselves tell us less than the intention behind them, which is to bring people home to the lunar surface after nearly half a century away.
On Wednesday, NASA named 18 astronauts who will train for future missions to the moon. The agency's aim is to put people on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, when Apollo 17 ended the last crewed landings.
The announcement was accompanied by a reaction from Pence, who responded as the names were read aloud. He said it was truly remarkable to think that the next man and the first woman to walk on the moon were among those just named. That remark is the only detail the reporting offers from the moment; it does not say where the announcement took place or who else addressed it.
The names, the selection process, and the training plans have not been disclosed. Nor has NASA said who among the group might fly first or when a landing might occur. Pence's comment suggests that future lunar crews may be drawn from this group, but it stops short of any official crew assignment.
What is clear is that a roster of 18 now exists, tied to a stated goal under the Artemis program. How their training unfolds and what timetable NASA sets will determine how close that goal truly is.
On Wednesday, NASA announced the names of 18 astronauts who will train for future missions to the moon. The agency is working toward putting people on the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.
The announcement came with a remark from Pence, who reacted to the list as it was read out. He said it was really amazing to think that the next man and the first woman on the moon are among the names that had just been read. The source gives only that remark and does not say where the announcement was made or who else spoke.
The year 1972 is the benchmark. That is when the Apollo 17 mission ended the last stretch of crewed lunar landings, and no one has stood on the moon since. The 18 astronauts are the group NASA has chosen to prepare for the effort to change that, under the Artemis program.
The source does not name the 18 astronauts, describe how they were chosen, or say how their training will be organized. It also does not say which of them might fly first, or when a landing might happen. Pence's comment suggests the eventual lunar crews will come from this group, but it is a statement of expectation rather than a published crew assignment.
What the reporting does establish is narrow but clear: a roster of 18 now exists, it was made public on Wednesday, and it is tied to a stated goal of returning people to the moon. What remains to be seen is how the training is scheduled and what timeline NASA sets for a crewed landing.
Citations marquantes
It is really amazing to think that the next man and the first woman on the moon are among the names that we just read.— Pence
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