India-US Air Force Colonel Raja John Vorputur Chari is one of 18 astronauts, half of whom are women, who have been selected by NASA for their glorious human missions on the moon and beyond.
The NASA says the modern lunar eclipse program will land the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024 and build a sustainable human existence by the end of the decade.
NASA on Wednesday named 18 astronauts training for the Artemis lunar landing program.
Tsar, 43, is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the U.S. Naval Test Pilots School, the only Indian-American on the list.
He was selected by NASA to participate in the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class.
He reported to take office in August 2017, completing the initial astronaut candidate training and now qualifying for the post.
Vice President Mike Pence said at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA on Wednesday, “My fellow Americans, I will bring you future heroes to the moon and beyond: Generations of Artemis.”
“It’s really amazing to think of the next man and the first woman on the moon as one of the names we’ve just read … We started thinking about the great hero of the past today. Artemis’s descendants are heroes of future U.S. space exploration, “Pence said after introducing members of the Artemis team at the eighth National Space Council meeting.
The astronauts on the Artemis team come from different backgrounds, experiences and experiences. Most of the astronauts in this group are in their 30s or 40s. The oldest is 55 years old and the youngest is 32 years old.
NASA will then announce the mission of the astronauts from the Artemis team. Additional members of the Artemis team, including international partner astronauts, will join the group as needed.
“We are very grateful to the President and the Vice President for their support for the Artemis program, and for the two parties to support all of NASA’s science, aviation research, technology development and human exploration goals,” said Jim Bridens, director of the US Space Agency.
“As a result, we are excited to share in the next step – naming the Artemis team of leading astronauts, including the first woman on the moon and the next man,” he said.
The selected astronauts will help NASA prepare for next year’s Artemis mission, and they will develop a human landing system with the agency’s business partners next year. Assist in training to define hardware requirements and advise on technical development. They will also involve the public and industry in NASA’s exploration plan.
“We have a lot of exciting work ahead of us when we get back to the moon, and all the astronauts need to do that,” said chief astronaut Pat Forrester.
“Walking on the moon will be a dream for each of us, and it’s an honor for us to be able to play it,” he said.
Other members on the list are Christina Koch and Jessica Meir – the two astronauts who launched the world’s first female spacecraft last year.
