NASA on Tuesday named the four astronauts it plans to send on the Artemis III mission, the next major step in its return-to-the-moon program.Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas are expected to launch into Earth orbit next year, with the goal of testing out two commercially built lunar landers being developed to carry astronauts to the surface of the moon in 2028. Bresnik will be the mission’s commander, with Parmitano, an Italian astronaut with the European Space Agency, serving as the pilot. Douglas and Rubio will be mission specialists, and Bob Hines will train with the crew as a backup member.Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are racing to build the landers that Artemis III aims to test. Both companies said in updates Tuesday that they expect their landers to be ready.The Artemis III crew poses for an official portrait, from left, Andre Douglas, Luca Parmitano, Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio. (Bill Stafford / NASA)(Bill Stafford)“This test flight will enable us to prove we can carry out highly choreographed operations with our partners across hardware interfaces, software propulsion systems and life support elements with crew in the high-stakes space environment,” said Jeremy Parsons, NASA’s Artemis program manager.AdvertisementAdvertisementBresnik, a Californian, has been on two missions to the International Space Station, most recently as commander of an expedition in 2017. A former U.S. Marine colonel, he was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004. Bresnik has helped oversee development and testing of spacecraft for the Artemis program as an assistant to the chief of the Astronaut Office, which manages astronaut training and operations.Parmitano, a father of two, also served as commander of a space station expedition in 2019 — his second stint on the ISS. While there, he completed a total of six spacewalks and also performed the first live DJ set in orbit. Before becoming an astronaut, Parmitano was a test pilot for the Italian Air Force.For Rubio, a phys …
