NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
NASA is defending its Artemis III crew selection amid criticism that no women were selected for the team<\/p>\n
Critics, including female space professionals, argue there are many qualified women in NASA’s astronaut corps<\/p>\n
NASA says crew selection prioritizes mission objectives and expertise, with women holding key leadership roles in the agency<\/p>\n
NASA is defending its Artemis III crew amid criticism that the team contains no women.<\/p>\n
The four astronauts who will take part in the upcoming mission \u2014 mission specialists Andre Douglas<\/a> and Frank Rubio<\/a>, commander Randy Bresnik<\/a> and pilot Luca Parmitano<\/a> \u2014 were introduced at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Tuesday, June 9.<\/p>\n But NASA is now facing criticism for its decision not to include women on the team, which includes backup crew member Bob Hines<\/a>.<\/p>\n In a statement<\/a> shared on Wednesday, June 10, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman came to the crew’s defense, calling them \u201cexperienced, qualified\u201d and deserving of celebration.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a world with so much controversy, I hope this can be a moment where we celebrate the astronauts selected, respect the integrity of the process, and recognize the extraordinary depth of talent across the entire corps,\u201d Isaacman said.<\/p>\n Many of the critiques surrounding the makeup of the Artemis III crew have come from women, including Camille Bergin<\/a>, a space marketing professional who posts on social media under the name \u201cThe Space Gal,\u201d and Emily Calandrelli<\/a>, who became the 100th woman in space<\/a> on a Blue Origin flight in 2024.<\/p>\n Both Calandrelli and Bergin expressed disappointment in the decision to have an all-male crew for Artemis III in separate Instagram Reels.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just feels like we’re taking a step backwards, and there are plenty, plenty of qualified women in this astronaut class,\u201d Bergin said in her post.<\/p>\n In the caption of her post, Calandrelli said, \u201cWhen there are plenty of rock star women to choose from – this is a deliberate choice.\u201d<\/p>\n In his statement, Isaacman said the crew selection for Artemis II \u201cdoes not involve any political appointees.\u201d Instead, he said, the Astronaut Office \u201cassigns the crew that gives the mission the best chance of meeting its objectives.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of the decision-making process, Isaacman said officials take \u201cmany factors\u201d into account such as \u201cthe background and expertise of the astronauts, such as test pilot experience, development work on specific programs, and availability.\u201d<\/p>\n Isaacman also said some critics \u201cmay not be aware of the pipeline of crews already preparing to launch to the Space Station, or those who have been undergoing lunar-specific training that would be a better fit for a future surface mission.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an extraordinary astronaut corps,\u201d the NASA administrator said, \u201cand every mission and every crew is part of a larger campaign to get America back to the Moon and to build the future we all dreamed about as children.\u201d<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Fifteen of the 37 active NASA astronauts, or about 40%, are women, according to Space.com. Additionally, except for two missions, there has been at least one woman on NASA missions to the International Space Station since 2021.<\/p>\n Isaacman said he has \u201cpersonally been to space twice with 50% female crews\u201d and noted that \u201cnearly 50% of the Center Directors and Mission Directorate leadership are women.\u201d The last astronaut candidate class, he added, \u201cwas majority female.”<\/p>\n “They were the best of the best,” the NASA administrator said, “including one astronaut I previously went to space with.\u201d<\/p>\n It has been more than 50 years since astronauts last stepped foot on the moon during NASA’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.<\/p>\n Training for the Artemis III mission began immediately after the crew’s announcement, according to NASA, which called this era \u201cthe Golden Age of innovation and exploration\u201d in space.<\/p>\n Read the original article on People<\/a><\/p>\n