{"id":4682,"date":"2026-06-19T12:34:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:34:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4682"},"modified":"2026-06-19T12:34:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T12:34:40","slug":"artemis-iii-backup-astronaut-in-prime-spot-to-be-chosen-for-moon-landing-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=4682","title":{"rendered":"Artemis III backup astronaut in prime spot to be chosen for moon landing mission"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were backup crew for Apollo 8. Their next flight made them the first two men to step foot on the moon.<\/p>

Read more Attractions draw grown-up audiences with youthful pursuits<\/a><\/p>\n

The role of backup has traditionally set up astronauts to be named prime crew for successive NASA\u2019s missions, something that bodes well for Air Force Col. Bob \u201cFarmer\u201d Hines, who was designated the sole backup for all four astronauts assigned to fly on next year\u2019s Artemis III mission.<\/p>\n

One of those four is Andre Douglas, himself most recently NASA\u2019s backup astronaut for this year\u2019s Artemis II lunar flyby mission. While Artemis III will be a low-Earth orbit flight to test out the Orion spacecraft\u2019s ability to dock with lunar landers, Artemis IV looks to return humans to the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.<\/p>\n

That could mean Hines may be among the front runners to fly on Artemis IV, and may be among those chosen to venture down to lunar surface, although that crew won\u2019t be named until after the completion of Artemis III.<\/p>\n