On Wednesday, Nasa declared that 18 astronauts, half of them who are women will train for the Artemis moon-landing programme.
One out of the 18 astronauts is an Indian American selected by NASA for the manned mission to the moon and beyond.
The Indian American man, Raja Jon Vurpurtoor Chari, is 43 years old and is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy from MIT. He is the only Indian-American to be a part of this mission.
In 2017, he was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. He completed his initial astronaut candidate training and now he is eligible for a mission assignment.
NASA will soon announce the flight assignments for the astronauts who are a part of the Artemis Team.
The astronauts of the Artemis Team come from diverse backgrounds. Some are experienced and some have high expertise on the subject. Most of the astronauts in the group are in their 30’s or 40’s. The oldest astronaut is 55 and the youngest is 32. This mission will land the first woman and next man on the moon in 2024. The aim of this mission, according to NASA is to establish human lunar presence by the end of the decade.
By Meena Atmakuri
