Mayor Sylvester Turner | Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Official website
Mayor Sylvester Turner | Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Official website
As the leader of "Space City," Mayor Sylvester Turner proudly opened the doors to Houston City Hall on Tuesday to boldly welcome NASA's Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa E. Wyche and the Artemis II astronauts for an engaging conversation with council members, municipal employees and some of their children.
Artemis II is scheduled to fly around the moon in late 2024 with a four-person crew of Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch, and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. According to NASA, the approximately 10-day Artemis II flight test will launch on the agency’s powerful 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.
Artemis 2 astronauts meet with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, other city leaders
"This was a fun and important event. We appreciated the astronauts being here and taking the time to explain the mission to our city employees, said Mayor Turner. "the space program is essential to the City of Houston, and we will always support the astronauts. As goes the space program, so goes Houston."
"These four astronauts are not just embarking on a mission to orbit the moon; they are pioneers representing the aspirations of humanity," said Mayor Turner.
Last week, the Artemis II crew visited the White House, meeting with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The visit to City Hall was part of a public engagement tour to thank the mayor and the city for supporting the program.
In addition to discussing the mission and describing the personal mementos they planned to carry to space, the astronauts answered questions from employees and children in the crowd. They also spent a generous amount of time taking photos with everyone who attended the stellar event. Before departing downtown, Mayor Turner presented Director Wyche and the Artemis II crew with unique City of Houston belt buckles and medallions. Director Wyche presented Mayor Turner with a framed photo of a spectacular view of Houston from space.
Original source can be found here.
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