NASA has announced plans to return to the moon for scientific exploration and discovery as part of its Artemis program, which includes sending a woman to the moon. Zena Cardman, UNC alum and member of the NASA Astronaut Class of 2017, may be chosen for the mission.
Cardman graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in Biology and a master's in Marine Sciences. Her research focused on microorganisms in subsurfaces environments, according to her biography on NASA's website, and she has gone on multiple Antarctic expeditions. As part of the astronaut candidate program under Artemis, she has the potential to be assigned to missions to the International Space Station, the moon, and Mars, according to ABC 11.
"I went everywhere from the Arctic to the Antarctic and a few places in between," Cardman said in an interview with UNC. "To me, space seemed like the ultimate field research. So I threw my hat in the ring when the applications opened."
"With bipartisan support from Congress, our 21st century push to the Moon is well within America's reach," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "As we've solidified more of our exploration plans in recent months, we've continued to refine our budge and architecture. We're going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers. As we build up a sustainable presence, we're also building momentum toward those first human steps on the Red Planet."
The Artemis missions will include different phases of exploration. Artemis I, set for 2021, will be test flights around the moon and won't have astronauts on board. Astronauts will be onboard for Artemis II in 2023, but it isn't until Artemis III in 2024 that humanity will return to the moon. The crew will search for resources, collecting samples and conducting experiments, ABC 11 reports.
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