Douglas will train alongside NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
In the event that a NASA astronaut is unable to participate in the flight, Douglas will join the Artemis II crew.
“Andre’s education and extensive operational experience in his various jobs prior to joining NASA are a clear testament to his readiness to support this mission,” said Joe Acaba, chief astronaut at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “He excelled in his astronaut candidate training and technical tasks, and we are confident that he will continue to do so as a backup crew member for NASA’s Artemis II.”
CSA announced Jenny Gibbons as its backup crew member in November 2023. Gibbons will join the mission to represent Canada if Hansen is unavailable.
“Canada’s place in the historic Artemis II flight is a direct result of our Canadarm3 contribution to the Lunar Gateway. The appointment of Jenny Gibbons as a backup option is extremely important to our country,” said CSA President Lisa Campbell. “Since her appointment, Jenny has repeatedly distinguished herself through her work with NASA and CSA. She is also a great role model for Canada’s future scientists, engineers and researchers.
The selection of Douglas and Gibbons as backup crew members for Artemis II was independent of the selection of crew members for Artemis III. NASA has not yet selected crew members for Artemis flights after Artemis II. All active NASA astronauts are eligible for assignment to any human spaceflight mission.
The roughly 10-day Artemis II test flight will launch on the agency’s powerful SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life support systems and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.
More on Artemis II backup crew
Douglas graduated from NASA’s Astronaut Candidate Training Program in March 2024. He was born in Virginia and earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, as well as four graduate degrees from various institutions. including a PhD in systems engineering from George Washington University in Washington. Douglas served in the US Coast Guard as a Naval Architect, Salvage Engineer, Damage Control Assistant and Officer of the Deck. He also served as a staff member at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, working on marine robotics, planetary defense, and space exploration missions for NASA. Douglas participated in the Joint EVA and Human Surface Mobility Test Team 5, working with a dedicated group that developed, integrated, and executed human-in-the-loop tests, analog missions, and lunar walks. More recently, Douglas has worked with teams to develop lunar terrain, a pressurized rover, a lunar portal, and a lunar space suit.
Gibbons was appointed as a CSA astronaut in 2017 and completed her basic training in 2020. Since then, Gibbons has continued to serve Canada’s space program and has worked in various positions, including mission control as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) during space missions. tours and commercial spacecraft and daily operations of the International Space Station. Gibbons holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in mechanical engineering from McGill University in Montreal. While at McGill, she conducted research on flame propagation in microgravity in collaboration with CSA and the Canadian National Aeronautical Research Laboratory in Ontario. She holds a PhD in Engineering from Jesus College, University of Cambridge, England.
Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency is establishing the foundation for long-term scientific exploration of the Moon, landing the first woman, the first person of color and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, and preparing human expeditions to Mars for the benefit of all.
Learn more about NASA’s Artemis campaign at:
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis
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Rachel Kraft/Madison Tuttle
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
rachel.h.kraft@nasa.gov/madison.e.tuttle@nasa.gov
Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov
