Upstate New York College Graduate Set to Command Moon Mission in 2024

Reid Wiseman graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, otherwise known as RPI, in 1997, and has led a remarkable career since that time. He was an officer, and later a commander, in the U.S. Navy through 2009, and received an Air Medal for his service to the country.

He was selected by NASA to begin astronaut training in 2009, and in 2024, Wiseman's remarkable career is set to skyrocket once again.

Literally.

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RPI Graduate Wiseman Set to Command Crewed Moon Mission in 2024

A story from New York Upstate shared an incredible update on the career of Gregory Reid Wiseman, who graduated from RPI in 1997 with a degree in computer and systems engineering, and has since led a remarkable career in the field of aviation.

Wiseman has been named Crew Commander for NASA's Artemis II mission, which as New York Upstate notes, is set to become the first crewed moon mission in five decades. Wiseman will lead his crew in an attempt to pass by the Moon, a necessary step for NASA before plans can be made to set foot on the moon again.

The earliest launch date for Artemis II will be November 2024, according to reports. Wiseman will command a crew that includes Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency.

He is the third RPI graduate to become an astronaut, per New York Upstate.

Wiseman was selected by NASA to begin astronaut training in 2009. From May to November 2014, he was part of two groups of astronauts (Expedition 40 and 41) that crewed the International Space Station. He left active flight rotation to take an administrative role within NASA soon after.

Wiseman served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from December 2020 through November 2022, after serving as the Deputy Chief in that same department previously. He stepped down from his post to return to flight rotation, and less than one year later, was named Commander of the Artemis II mission.

It is absolutely remarkable to see an individual with ties to a top-notch Upstate New York institution accomplish such great things. Our best wishes to Reid Wiseman and his crew, as per New York Upstate, they may have the opportunity to travel even further into space than the threshold of the Moon, and truly go where no man has gone before.