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For the first time in more than half a century, the US space agency, Nasa, has announced details of its new Moon mission, which includes the first woman and black man to be named as crew members. Christina Koch, a mission specialist, will become the first woman astronaut ever assigned to a lunar mission, while Victor Glover, the pilot, will be the first black astronaut on one. Joining them on the Artemis II flight will be the mission's commander, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen, also a mission specialist and member of the Canadian Space Agency. The mission will fly around the Moon as a precursor to another mission landing on the Earth's satellite in the future.

The former NASA astronaut, Jeffrey Hoffman said that the diverse skills and make-up of the crew was "representative of the world that we live in now". He said we have barely scratched the surface of the Moon, and explains how the work on the Moon could help humans if we ever get to Mars.

(Credit Mark Felix / AFP via Getty Images - Astronauts Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Christina Hammock Koch celebrate after being selected for the Artemis II mission during a news conference held by NASA and CSA at Ellington airport in Houston, Texas, on April 3, 2023.