Japanese will be 1st non-American to set foot on the Moon, says Biden – 04/10/2024 – Science

The first non-American to set foot on the Moon will be Japanese, announced this Wednesday (10), the president of the United States, Joe Biden, during a state visit by the Prime Minister of Japan.

The ties between the two countries “extend to the Moon, where two Japanese astronauts will join future American missions, one of whom will become the first non-American to set foot on the Moon,” Biden said during a press conference.

The US has set a goal of returning to the Moon for the first time since 1972. Only 12 people have set foot on the Moon to date, all of them white American men.

Under NASA’s Artemis program, it is planned to send a woman and a non-white person to Earth’s natural satellite.

It is expected that by the end of 2025, the Artemis 2 mission will fly around the Moon.

The manned mission must be commanded by Reid Wiseman, systems engineer and test pilot, and piloted by Victor Glover, systems engineer. The other two crew members are electrical engineer Christina Koch and physics master’s student Jeremy Hansen, the only Canadian — the rest are Americans.

This must be the first time that four people have flown to the satellite. In the Apollo program missions, there were three.

Artemis 3, planned for the end of 2026, although delays are expected, intends to take astronauts to the satellite.

After landing, the crew’s first mission will be to check whether all systems are suitable for staying on the lunar soil. If everything is working, the group will have a few hours to eat and rest before starting a series of experiments.

During the satellite walks, photo and video capture, geological research and sample collection are planned.