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By NASA
Boarding passes will carry participants’ names on NASA’s Artemis II mission in 2026.Credit: NASA Lee este comunicado de prensa en español aquí.
NASA is inviting the public to join the agency’s Artemis II test flight as four astronauts venture around the Moon and back to test systems and hardware needed for deep space exploration. As part of the agency’s “Send Your Name with Artemis II” effort, anyone can claim their spot by signing up before Jan. 21.
Participants will launch their name aboard the Orion spacecraft and SLS (Space Launch System) rocket alongside NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
“Artemis II is a key test flight in our effort to return humans to the Moon’s surface and build toward future missions to Mars, and it’s also an opportunity to inspire people across the globe and to give them an opportunity to follow along as we lead the way in human exploration deeper into space,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The collected names will be put on an SD card loaded aboard Orion before launch. In return, participants can download a boarding pass with their name on it as a collectable.
To add your name and receive an English-language boarding pass, visit:
https://go.nasa.gov/artemisnames
To add your name and receive a Spanish-language boarding pass, visit:
https://go.nasa.gov/TuNombreArtemis
As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, the approximately 10-day Artemis II test flight, launching no later than April 2026, is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. It is another step toward new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send the first astronauts – Americans – to Mars.
To learn more about the mission visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-ii/
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Rachel Kraft
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 09, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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By NASA
NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is pictured inside the cupola, the International Space Station’s “window to the world,” as the orbiting lab flew 263 miles above southeastern England on Oct. 1, 2022.NASA/Frank Rubio NASA astronaut Frank Rubio poses for a picture in the International Space Station’s cupola on Oct. 1, 2022.
Rubio was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017. He trained as a flight engineer and member of the Expedition 68 crew. Rubio, along with cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin of Roscosmos, launched Sept. 21, 2022, on the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the space station.
While aboard the orbital laboratory, Rubio and his fellow crew members conducted dozens of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, including growing tomato plants to study hydroponic and aeroponic techniques, participating in crew health experiments, and studying how materials react in microgravity. Research like this and other activity on the orbital outpost will inform long-duration missions like Artemis and future human expeditions to Mars.
Rubio spent 371 days in space, surpassing NASA’s single spaceflight record for continuous days in space made by astronaut Mark Vande Hei. Rubio and his crewmates landed in Kazakhstan on Sept. 27, 2023. Rubio’s mission is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut in history.
Image credit: NASA/Frank Rubio
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By NASA
A view inside the sandbox portion of the Crew Health and Performance Analog, where research volunteers participate in simulated walks on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA Four research volunteers will soon participate in NASA’s year-long simulation of a Mars mission inside a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This mission will provide NASA with foundational data to inform human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
Ross Elder, Ellen Ellis, Matthew Montgomery, and James Spicer enter into the 1,700-square-foot Mars Dune Alpha habitat on Sunday, Oct. 19, to begin their mission. The team will live and work like astronauts for 378 days, concluding their mission on Oct. 31, 2026. Emily Phillips and Laura Marie serve as the mission’s alternate crew members.
Through a series of Earth-based missions called CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog), carried out in the 3D-printed habitat, NASA aims to evaluate certain human health and performance factors ahead of future Mars missions. The crew will undergo realistic resource limitations, equipment failures, communication delays, isolation and confinement, and other stressors, along with simulated high-tempo extravehicular activities. These scenarios allow NASA to make informed trades between risks and interventions for long-duration exploration missions.
“As NASA gears up for crewed Artemis missions, CHAPEA and other ground analogs are helping to determine which capabilities could best support future crews in overcoming the human health and performance challenges of living and operating beyond Earth’s resources – all before we send humans to Mars,” said Sara Whiting, project scientist with NASA’s Human Research Program at NASA Johnson.
Crew members will carry out scientific research and operational tasks, including simulated Mars walks, growing a vegetable garden, robotic operations, and more. Technologies specifically designed for Mars and deep space exploration will also be tested, including a potable water dispenser and diagnostic medical equipment.
“The simulation will allow us to collect cognitive and physical performance data to give us more insight into the potential impacts of the resource restrictions and long-duration missions to Mars on crew health and performance,” said Grace Douglas, CHAPEA principal investigator. “Ultimately, this information will help NASA make informed decisions to design and plan for a successful human mission to Mars.”
This mission, facilitated by NASA’s Human Research Program, is the second one-year Mars surface simulation conducted through CHAPEA. The first mission concluded on July 6, 2024.
The Human Research Program pursues methods and technologies to support safe, productive human space travel. Through applied research conducted in laboratories, simulations, and aboard the International Space Station, the program investigates the effects spaceflight has on human bodies and behaviors to keep astronauts healthy and mission-ready.
Primary Crew
Ross Elder, Commander
Ross Elder, from Williamstown, West Virginia, is a major and experimental test pilot in the United States Air Force. At the time of his selection, he served as the director of operations of the 461st Flight Test Squadron. He has piloted over 35 military aircraft and accumulated more than 1,800 flying hours, including 200 combat hours, primarily in the F-35, F-15E/EX, F-16, and A-10C. His flight test experience focuses on envelope expansion, crewed-uncrewed teaming, artificial intelligence, autonomy, mission systems, and weapons modernization.
Elder earned a Bachelor of Science in astronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and commissioned as an Air Force officer upon graduation. He earned a Master of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs and a master’s degree in flight test engineering from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Ellen Ellis, Medical Officer
Ellen Ellis, from North Kingstown, Rhode Island, is a colonel and an acquisitions officer in the United States Space Force. She currently serves as a senior materiel leader in the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Communications Systems Directorate. She is responsible for fielding commercial cloud and traditional information technology hosting solutions and building modernized data centers for the NRO. She previously served as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations officer and GPS satellite engineer, and she also developed geospatial intelligence payloads and ground processing systems.
She earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering at Syracuse University in New York and holds four master’s degrees, including a Master of Science in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in California, and a Master of Science in emergency and disaster management from Georgetown University in Washington.
Matthew Montgomery, Science Officer
Matthew Montgomery, from Los Angeles, is a hardware engineering design consultant who works with technology startup companies to develop, commercialize, and scale their products. His focus areas include LED lighting, robotics, controlled environment agriculture, and embedded control systems.
Montgomery earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida. He is also a founder and co-owner of Floating Lava Studios, a film production company based in Los Angeles.
James Spicer, Flight Engineer
James Spicer is a technical director in the aerospace and defense industry. His experience includes building radio and optical satellite communications networks; space data relay networks for human spaceflight; position, navigation, and timing research; and hands-on spacecraft design, integration, and tests.
Spicer earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in aeronautics and astronautics, and holds a Notation in Science Communication from Stanford University in California. He also holds commercial pilot and glider pilot licenses.
Alternate Crew
Emily Phillips
Emily Phillips, from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, is a captain and pilot in the United States Marine Corps. She currently serves as a forward air controller and air officer attached to an infantry battalion stationed at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California.
Phillips earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and commissioned as a Marine Corps officer upon graduation. She attended flight school, earning her Naval Aviator wings and qualifying as an F/A-18C Hornet pilot. Phillips has completed multiple deployments to Europe and Southeast Asia.
Laura Marie
Born in the United Kingdom, Laura Marie immigrated to the U.S. in 2016. She is a commercial airline pilot specializing in flight safety, currently operating passenger flights in Washington.
Marie began her aviation career in 2019 and has amassed over 2,800 flight hours. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a Master of Science in aeronautics from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. In addition to her Airline Transport Pilot License, she also possesses flight instructor and advanced ground instructor licenses. Outside the flight deck, Marie dedicates her time to mentoring and supporting aspiring pilots as they navigate their careers.
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By NASA
NASA/Rad Sinyak Orion Mission Evaluation Room (MER) team member works during an Artemis II mission simulation on Aug. 19, 2025, from the new Orion MER inside the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
As NASA’s Orion spacecraft is carrying crew around the Moon on the Artemis II mission, a team of expert engineers in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will be meticulously monitoring the spacecraft along its journey. They’ll be operating from a new space in the mission control complex built to host the Orion Mission Evaluation Room (MER). Through the success of Orion and the Artemis missions, NASA will return humanity to the Moon and prepare to land an American on the surface of Mars.
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By NASA
NASA astronaut and Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Megan McArthur removes Kidney Cells-02 hardware inside the Space Automated Bioproduct Laboratory and swaps media inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. The human research study seeks to improve treatments for kidney stones and osteoporosis NASA astronaut Megan McArthur has retired, concluding a career spanning more than two decades. A veteran of two spaceflights, McArthur logged 213 days in space, including being the first woman to pilot a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and the last person to “touch” the Hubble Space Telescope with the space shuttle’s robotic arm.
McArthur launched as pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission in April 2021, marking her second spaceflight and her first long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station. During the 200-day mission, she served as a flight engineer for Expeditions 65/66, conducting a wide array of scientific experiments in human health, materials sciences, and robotics to advance exploration of the Moon under Artemis and prepare to send American astronauts to Mars.
Her first spaceflight was STS-125 in 2009, aboard the space shuttle Atlantis, the fifth and final servicing mission to Hubble. As a mission specialist, she was responsible for capturing the telescope with the robotic arm, as well as supporting five spacewalks to update and repair Hubble after its first 19 years in space. She also played a key role in supporting shuttle operations during launch, rendezvous with the telescope, and landing.
“Megan’s thoughtful leadership, operational excellence, and deep commitment to science and exploration have made a lasting impact,” said Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Her contributions have helped shape the future of human space exploration, and we are incredibly grateful for her service.”
In addition to her flight experience, McArthur has served in various technical and leadership roles within NASA. In 2019, she became the deputy division chief of the Astronaut Office, supporting astronaut training, development, and ongoing spaceflight operations. She also served as the assistant director of flight operations for the International Space Station Program starting in 2017.
Since 2022, McArthur has served as the chief science officer at Space Center Houston, NASA Johnson’s official visitor center. Continuing in this role, she actively promotes public engagement with space exploration themes, aiming to increase understanding of the benefits to humanity and enhance science literacy.
“Megan brought a unique combination of technical skill and compassion to everything she did,” said Joe Acaba, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA Johnson. “Whether in space or on the ground, she embodied the best of what it means to be an astronaut and a teammate. Her contributions will be felt by the next generation of explorers she helped train.”
McArthur was born in Honolulu and raised as a “Navy kid” in many different locations worldwide. She earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a doctorate in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Before being selected as an astronaut in 2000, she conducted oceanographic research focusing on underwater acoustics, which involved shipboard work and extensive scuba diving.
McArthur is married to former NASA astronaut Robert Behnken, who also flew aboard the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft during the agency’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission in 2020.
“It was an incredible privilege to serve as a NASA astronaut, working with scientists from around the world on cutting-edge research that continues to have a lasting impact here on Earth and prepares humanity for future exploration at the Moon and Mars,” said McArthur. “From NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope to the International Space Station, our research lab in low Earth orbit, humanity has developed incredible tools that help us answer important scientific questions, solve complex engineering challenges, and gain a deeper understanding of our place in the universe. Seeing our beautiful planet from space makes it so clear how fragile and precious our home is, and how vital it is that we protect it. I am grateful I had the opportunity to contribute to this work, and I’m excited to watch our brilliant engineers and scientists at NASA conquer new challenges and pursue further scientific discoveries for the benefit of all.”
To learn more about NASA’s astronauts and their contributions to space exploration, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts
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Shaneequa Vereen
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
shaneequa.y.vereen@nasa.gov
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