An RPI Grad Is Headed To The Moon

For eons, humans have looked to the stars, hoping to one day reach the heavens. In the mid-20th Century, we finally did it, and after a several decade break, we're finally headed back to Deep Space.

Artemis II is on its voyage to the Moon, and a Capital Region native is among its crew.

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Artemis II

Launching on April 1st, 2026, the Artemis II expedition is the first manned mission to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The ship will carry four astronauts (Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch & Jeremy Hansen) into lunar orbit.

The Crew of the Artemis II

This mission won't include a walk on the moon. Rather, the crew will orbit the lunar surface, collecting data for Mission Control back home so we can begin to plan a return trip to the lunar surface, as well as long term research in deep space.

Who is Reid Wiseman?

Mission Commander Reid Wiseman is Capital Region royalty now. While he is a Baltimore native, he received his Bachelors of Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York in 1997. He has been an astronaut at NASA since being chosen in 2009. Now, he's headed where very few men have been before.

Reid Wiseman, Commander of the Artemis II

Deep Space travel is not something new to RPI, however. RPI’s former president, George M. Low, managed the Apollo Program. Yes, THAT Apollo program.

On the ground here, RPI grads Maeve Marshall '23, M.Eng. '24, and Paul McKee '17, MS '18, Ph.D. '23 are all working at NASA's Johnson Space Center, otherwise simply known as "Houston".