The Artemis II blasted off into outer space last week, and Maryland is along for the ride.
In 1970, Apollo 13 traveled 248,655 miles from Earth, while the crew of Artemis II is expected to travel 252,757 miles. The launch is sending astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, and Maryland has a bigger role in the mission than you might know. The commander of the Artemis II, Reid Wiseman, is a U.S. Navy Captain and NASA astronaut, and a native of Baltimore County, Maryland.
As the mission commander, he is responsible for crew safety, mission execution, and the resolution of in-flight issues. Wiseman grew up in Cockeysville, Maryland, and attended Dulaney High School, later receiving his master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University. He trained at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Southern Maryland. Wiseman was selected by NASA to begin astronaut training in 2009 while serving in the U.S. Navy.
Regarding Marylanders in space, Wiseman shared, “I love getting to represent Maryland. We have quite a few astronauts from Maryland, and many of them are good friends of mine.”
The mission also carries personal meaning for Commander Wiseman. The crew has used part of its journey to name previously unnamed lunar craters, including one called, “Carroll,” in honor of Commander Wiseman’s late wife.
But Maryland’s role in this mission doesn’t stop there. Fellow Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch also has strong ties to the state. She is the first woman to leave Earth’s orbit and spent time training and teaching in Maryland. Koch completed the NASA Academy program at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. She also taught at Montgomery County Community College, leading a physics laboratory course. Additionally, she worked for the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Maryland is also helping to power the mission behind the scenes. When the Artemis II crew phones back to Earth, they do so through the NASA Near Space Network in Goddard. The experts there help with communications and provide instructions for the aircraft. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin engineers based in Bethesda played a major role in developing the Orion crew module — the spacecraft designed to carry the astronauts on their journey.
As the Artemis II continues its journey around the moon, Maryland isn’t just watching from the sidelines. From the astronauts to the engineers and the communications team on the ground, the Old Line State helped make this mission possible.
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