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NASA chief defends selection of all-male crew for Artemis III mission
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, responding to questions about the agency's selection of an all-male crew for the Artemis III mission, said the astronauts were chosen based solely on their experience, skill sets and availability.
TL;DR
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman addressed criticism regarding the all-male Artemis III crew selection.
- Isaacman stated that astronauts were chosen based on experience, skill sets, and availability, not gender.
- He noted that previous NASA leadership and astronaut candidate classes have featured significant female representation.
- The Artemis III crew consists of Commander Randy Bresnik, pilot Luca Parmitano, and mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio.
- Bresnik described the crew selection as unintentional and highlighted the diversity within NASA's astronaut office.
- Several women astronauts are currently in orbit, in training, or assigned to future missions, including downstream Artemis flights.
- The Artemis III mission's primary goal is to test rendezvous and docking procedures with moon landers.