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Scott Wyland
Stars and stripes
Lieutenant-Colonel Anne McClain is one of 12 female astronauts who could become the first woman on the moon by 2024, according to a list established by NASA.
She is also the only one of the 12 members of the army.
After President Donald Trump ordered NASA to return to the moon in late 2017, the space agency announced that it would make the first woman on the lunar surface one of its main goals .
But the military, which most people associate with land and land warfare rather than space travel, may seem like an unusual breeding ground for astronauts.
McClain, who joined NASA in 2013, is nevertheless a seasoned astronaut and has 2,000 flying hours in 20 different aircraft, including the Black Hawk helicopter and the C-12 Huron transport aircraft.
The experience in the military has taught her to work in austere environments with few conveniences and the value of teamwork, which leaves her well suited to space missions, said NASA astronaut and colonel at retired Shane Kimbrough at a recent conference at Redstone Arsenal, Ala.
"It all depends on how you interact with people, how you can work in a team, how you can be a leader," said Kimbrough. "All [of] these are things that I learned in the army, so it really helped me personally … at NASA. "
McClain's recent move to the International Space Station will also help him fight for NASA's return to the moon, Kimbrough said.
A native of Spokane, Washington, McClain earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical / Aeronautical Engineering from West Point and a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering and International Relations from the University of Bath and Bristol, England.
If chosen, it would be part of NASA's Artemis program, named after the Greek goddess of the moon, twin sister of Apollo – the name of the NASA program that put the first man on the moon 50 years.
Two male soldiers could also claim a place in NASA's first lunar missions in half a century – Colonel Andrew Morgan and Lieutenant-Colonel Frank Rubio, an astronaut candidate.
NASA's initial plan was to resume manned lunar missions in 2028, but the delay was extended by four years, until 2024, at the request of the White House.
Part of the renewed interest in returning to the moon is to explore the ice mass identified at its south pole, says NASA on its website.
Scientists believe that ice can be converted into drinking water, oxygen and hydrogen, which could allow the Moon to serve as a crossing point for travel to Mars. NASA hopes to launch missions to the red planet in the 2030s.
Lunar ice could also have uses on Earth, giving lunar missions economic and scientific value, NASA says on its website.
A TDY like no other
A lunar stay would be the last temporary military task, or TDY, but it is not unprecedented.
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second astronaut to walk on the moon, posted on Twitter the travel voucher for his historic trip 50 years ago.
The voucher is presented as a trip from Fort Hood to Waco, Texas requesting travel reimbursement for July 1969. The TDY begins in Houston and ends in Cape Kennedy, Florida, with stopovers on the moon and in the Pacific Ocean. .
Modes of movement include "spaceship".
Aldrin is reimbursed for a total amount of $ 33.31. He omitted the mileage, which would represent approximately 480,000 miles.
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