NASA chief defends selection of all-male crew for Artemis III mission
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman defended the all-male Artemis III crew selection, stating astronauts were chosen based on experience, skill sets, and availability, not gender.
- The Artemis III mission crew includes Randy Bresnik as commander, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano as pilot, and astronauts Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, all bringing diverse expertise and significant spaceflight experience.
- The selection sparked criticism for lack of female representation, with some expressing disappointment that no women were included despite women making up about 50% of the astronaut corps.
- Bresnik emphasized the selection was unintentional regarding gender, highlighting the diversity within NASA’s astronaut office and noting that future Artemis missions will include female astronauts.
- Isaacman noted that many women are currently training for upcoming missions and that crew assignments consider mission-specific needs, with Artemis III being primarily a flight test in low-Earth orbit.