Artemis II moonshot commander and pilot are hanging up their astronaut suits at NASA

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The two NASA astronauts who led the Artemis II moonshot earlier this year are stepping away from spaceflight.

NASA announced Wednesday that Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman and pilot Victor Glover will no longer serve as active astronauts but will continue to support the moon exploration program as emeritus astronauts.

Glover has taken a leadership job at his alma mater, California Polytechnic State University, while Wiseman’s future plans weren’t disclosed. They flew around the moon in April with two other astronauts, setting a new distance record for humanity.

Artemis II’s Jeremy Hansen retired from the Canadian Space Agency in July. That leaves Christina Koch as the only crew member still on the active astronaut rolls.

As emeritus astronauts, Wiseman and Glover will donate their time to train and mentor NASA workers and share their knowledge for future moon missions. It’s a new approach to taking advantage of expertise, according to the space agency.

“Together, they took on one of the most challenging missions in human spaceflight and helped return America to the lunar environment,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement. “I’m grateful they will continue sharing what they learned.”

Cal Poly said Glover will…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/