'Historic moments': NASA to land first person of colour on Moon as part of Artemis

The US space agency NASA on April 9 said that it will land the first person of colour on the Moon as part of an international spaceflight programme called Artemis. According to ANI, the NASA administration on Friday submitted US President Joe Biden’s priorities for 2022 discretionary spending to Congress. The NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said that this goal aligns with Biden’s commitment to pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all. 

Jurczyk also noted that the Biden-Harris administration even seeks to land the first woman and the next man on the lunar South Pole by 2024. According to the news agency, while the first cadre of astronauts for the Artemis programme was announced in December, the first two crew members for Artemis III in 2024 have yet to be announced. It is worth noting that the initial group of 18 already represents a diverse team of astronauts and it also included Indian-Americal Raja Chari. 

Bhavya Lal, acting NASA chief of staff, said, “These are historic moments in advancing equity for all of mankind”. She added that the announcement is personally "very meaningful" to her. While taking to Twitter, Lal revealed that she came to the US at 18 years old, carrying two suitcases full of books and never imagining she would work at the US space agency in the future. 

NASA requests $24.7 billion funding for 2022

Meanwhile, Jurczyk informed that the proposed spending also calls for an increase of more than six er cent than the previous year. He said that a $24.7 billion funding request demonstrates the Biden Administration’s commitment to NASA and its partners who have worked so hard this year under difficult circumstances and achieved unprecedented success. He added that the President's request would also help further the agency's robotic exploration of space, provide a boost to aviation technology and provide new funding for NASA's efforts to engage in STEM outreach for underserved students. 

Jurczyk said, “The President's discretionary request Strengthens NASA's ability to better understand Earth and how it works as an integrated system, from our oceans to our atmosphere, how it all impacts our daily lives, and how it all is impacted by climate change”. 

(With inputs from ANI)