Andre Douglas’ first 3 months as a NASA astronaut have taken him from coaching in Arizona to readying for a moon undertaking.Douglas, who changed into eligible for NASA spaceflight assignments in March, used to be named a backup for the extremely expected Artemis 2 undertaking simply weeks after he handed two years of fundamental astronaut coaching. His revel in with early developmental methods in area used to be most likely an element, particularly his time development spacecraft missions for the Johns Hopkins College Carried out Physics Lab (APL).Artemis 2 objectives to ship 4 astronauts across the moon no previous than September 2025, within the first crewed moon undertaking since Apollo 17 in 1972. Douglas spoke with House.com in an unique interview about what the staff is operating on and what is coming subsequent of their coaching.Comparable: NASA declares Artemis 2 moon undertaking backup astronaut — Andre Douglas will reinforce 2025 lunar liftoff
NASA astronaut Andre Douglas, backup for Artemis 2, collects soil samples all over simulated moonwalks on the San Francisco Volcanic Box in Northern Arizona on Would possibly 13, 2024. (Symbol credit score: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)House.com: The closing time we spoke used to be all over the day when everyone used to be graduating out of your astronaut elegance in March. What coaching actions have you ever been running on since then?NASA astronaut Andre Douglas: Commencement used to be in March, special day. However even a couple of months ahead of then I began doing my floor jobs. The primary of them used to be the pressurized rover. That is this collaboration between us and the Eastern Aerospace Exploration Company. With my background in APL, doing car design and check, that used to be very acceptable. The rover isn’t pressurized. Principally, it is like a dune buggy and what they used on Apollo. Then I am serving to out with the spacesuits, the place I did that check out in Arizona. That used to be CONOPS — the concept that of operations for doing all of the geology, and what number of EVAs [extravehicular activities] we have been going to do. It wasn’t in particular to check the fits, but it surely used to be truly excellent at occupied with all of the other duties that we will need to do after we do geology. And I may feed that again with [NASA astronaut] Kayla Barron. She works essentially with the swimsuit construction, and she or he wanted some reinforce. Breaking area information, the newest updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!Then the opposite activity used to be running on lunar Gateway. Gateway is the brand new area station across the moon. That is slated for Artemis 4. We are attempting to determine all of the issues which are main as much as it, after which attempting to make use of our present ISS revel in to know what we would possibly want in lunar orbit. On the identical time, I used to be additionally running on my tablet communicator certification, so capcom. I simply were given my capcom certification closing week. And whilst I used to be nonetheless doing that, we do the entire able staff duties. If you find yourself no longer assigned, you might be within the able staff department. That is undertaking reinforce: I used to be doing NBL [Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, a giant pool where spacewalks are practiced] runs, flying jets, doing my Russian language, all of the identical issues we did within the fundamental astronaut coaching. You simply care for your skillability and your foreign money.I now do Artemis 2 backup staff coaching on best of all of the ones issues. So I’m pleasantly busy. I simply wish to be certain I steadiness the whole lot with having a laugh at house, with the spouse and two youngsters.Comparable: Astronauts would possibly not stroll at the moon till 2026 after NASA delays subsequent 2 Artemis missions
NASA astronaut Andre Douglas (left), backup for Artemis 2, opinions procedures with fellow NASA astronaut Kayla Barron. The 2 have been doing simulated moonwalks within the San Francisco Volcanic Box in northern Arizona on Would possibly 14, 2024. (Symbol credit score: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)House.com: We are happy to listen to, as it’s a must to be certain your circle of relatives is prioritized, too. Referring to Artemis 2: Are you able to communicate to me about the way you came upon?Douglas: That used to be a truly wild revel in. I take into account getting a heads up: “Andre, we’d like you to return to the place of job.” I am pondering to myself, “I do not truly have anything else that I have carried out flawed.” I used to be pondering to myself, “Oh, this is able to handiest be thrilling information or one thing out of left box. That is most definitely associated with an task.” So I used to be strolling into the place of job. It used to be like, Would possibly 10. I used to be pondering, “Guy, that is with reference to my birthday. What a birthday provide this may well be. It is most definitely going to be both the World House Station [ISS], both a Dragon or the Soyuz.”I am getting in there, and I am speaking to [deputy chief of the astronaut office] Shannon Walker and [chief astronaut] Joe Acaba. They are like, “That is an task. You might be sensible sufficient to determine that out. However we needed to help you know, you might be assigned because the Artemis 2 backup.”Once they stated, “Artwork—” I went, “Whoa, didn’t be expecting that.” That used to be a pleasing wonder. To my revel in and simply the texture of the place of job, it wasn’t essentially a chief purpose to get a rookie on an Artemis flight anytime quickly. So I had anticipated that everyone who simply graduated would pass to the ISS first, roughly get acclimated to area, after which pass to Artemis as we are figuring issues out. I assumed this used to be an overly distinctive scenario the place they’ve any individual who is simply out of this system and leaping proper into Artemis, and it is thrilling. So I believe very venerated to be part of it. As I am going throughout the activity, now I perceive [why I was selected]. It is extra than simply flying. There may be a large number of construction. With my background, with the levels and with the revel in that APL [gave me] with being an operator, and the Coast Guard, all of that comes into play. And it is a truly great candy spot for me in an effort to give a contribution proper out the gate.Comparable: Snazzy spacesuit! Artemis 2 moon undertaking backup astronaut Andre Douglas tries on his lunar duds (pictures)
Artemis 2 backup astronaut Andre Douglas smiles whilst attempting on his lunar spacesuit in a photograph posted July 12, 2024. (Symbol credit score: Andre Douglas/NASA/X)House.com: Are you able to give an explanation for what backup tasks imply, but even so stepping in and serving to the top staff if any individual cannot fly?Douglas: Basically you might be doing [training] that the top staff is doing. However most significantly, I have discovered that I will lend a hand do a large number of the closeout actions all over the release. So we grow to be one thing known as the ASP: the astronaut reinforce individual. We are truly placing out with the households, ensuring that everyone has what they want. We are going to the release pad. We are going to lend a hand them [the astronauts] get strapped in all over the closing closeout procedures, shut the hatch. And if there may be any kind of contingency, if we need to abort off the pad, we will be proper there, get them down off the release pad, down the zip line [and] into the emergency egress apparatus. Then get out of Dodge, mainly. In the following few days, we are going to go away and pass to Iceland, the place we are doing geology coaching. The geology coaching is the [two] backups and the [four] top staff running as one staff of six. So we get to be told each and every different, which is vital in case certainly one of us [backups] has to step in. After which the opposite piece of this is we are attempting to ensure we refine the syllabus for the geology coaching for Artemis 3 and past.Comparable: Moon scientists hail Artemis alternatives whilst nonetheless finding out from Apollo 
Artemis 2 backup astronaut Andre Douglas adjusts an augmented truth headset (referred to as the Joint Augmented Fact Visible Informatics Gadget) with engineers. He used to be running within the box at night time, all over a simulated moonwalk, at San Francisco Volcanic Box in northern Arizona on Would possibly 21, 2024. (Symbol credit score: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)House.com: How do you assume that your revel in helps to counterpoint everyone else, backups and top?Douglas: I believe the very first thing off the bat is, having an overly robust or heavy developmental engineering revel in at APL goes to be essential for trailblazing the Orion tablet and the remainder of this system. Everyone on this staff is making an attempt to determine the verdict issues, milestones, key issues that we want to center of attention on and steadiness possibility. I believe [it helps] having a large number of revel in within the undersea neighborhood and the distance exploration neighborhood and attempting to determine [not only] learn how to meet schedules, however learn how to get essentially the most out of the undertaking. It is helping shorten the educational curve, in an effort to perceive what is going on in those conferences, the place you truly perceive all of the acronyms. Being from the Coast Guard used to be very precious: doing a large number of drills as a harm regulate assistant the place we are answerable for our personal send or out at sea. No one’s going to return prevent when you are midway around the Atlantic. You might be answerable for the firefighting of the send, the stableness of the send. After which you might be truly excellent at engineering and figuring out the plan and the configuration. You do a large number of drills. You might be coming into that mindset of checking your programs and figuring out what are the following steps, figuring out emergency proceduresI assume that operational-slash-developmental aggregate will lend a hand supplement Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover; as they’re pilots and check engineers, I will be able to again them up there. Jeremy Hansen has were given a large number of revel in in flying within the jet. Christina Koch is any other APL [veteran], so understands necessities and procedures. I believe I am a novel supplement to they all in more than a few other ways. It will have to be a large number of a laugh.Comparable: See Artemis 2 astronauts discover moon-like crater in Canada (pictures)
The Artemis 2 moon staff all over a release simulation at NASA’s Kennedy House Heart on Sept. 20, 2023. They stand at the staff get admission to arm at Release 39B, which can in the future deliver them to the ready House Release Gadget rocket and Orion spacecraft. From left: NASA astronaut and pilot Victor Glover, Canadian House Company astronaut and undertaking specialist Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronaut and undertaking specialist Christina Koch, and NASA astronaut and commander Reid Wiseman. (Symbol credit score: NASA/Frank Michaux)House.com: Apart from Iceland, what different actions is Artemis 2 doing for coaching? Douglas: The following factor in August is all of the reinforce for closeout staff. That is the backup staff. The top staff goes to do one thing, most likely subsequent spring, the place they follow [again] release pad operations. This time [the Canadian Space Agency’s] Jenni Gibbons and I, the backup staff, are going to concentrate on what we will be able to do for the closeout. Restoration operations — I believe [that will be] subsequent 12 months, if I might get all for that. Then, it simply is going right down to a large number of the Artemis-specific sims, the human-in-the loop trying out. Getting the car able for flight is the largest hurdle. It is usually a large number of outreach, as a result of we are attempting to ensure we keep in touch our message. We are looking to get out to the communities. After I first were given assigned, that used to be some of the issues they stated that used to be distinctive about this particular task: There shall be much more PR [public relations] than same old. Most often, we strive to concentrate on spaceflight, however [in Artemis] it is perhaps 10% to twenty% extra [PR than for ISS missions]. I’ve some stuff lining up on my time table as we talk. Like subsequent week I will pass succeed in out to probably the most distributors that helped with Artemis 1, and talk with them and thank them for all of the arduous paintings that went into it.House.com: Anything you wish to have to incorporate?Douglas: It is thrilling, as a result of I sought after to do that since I used to be a child — since I used to be seven. To peer the place we at the moment are is more or less wonderful. I by no means would have concept that I am having a look at a brand new area station across the moon, and development a deep area transportation device, and looking to transcend. It is lovely daunting. It is going to take a little time. However on the finish of the day, like everyone in NASA and its contractors, we are all shifting ahead as very best as we will be able to. And we wish to make certain that everyone will get to the place they want to pass safely. Whether or not that takes extra time, whether or not that takes extra grit, extra element — that is what we are pushing for. This interview has been edited and condensed.
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