Toward a Multi-Planetary Future - Part 7

Based on the previous 6 articles, here is my analysis regarding personnel selection for lunar and Martian bases, analyze the current crop of astronauts and known employees from NASA, SpaceX, Canadian space agency etc.  

Here’s a structured analysis and fictional crew assignment for the first permanent lunar base and first permanent Martian base, based on the stringent selection criteria described earlier (e.g., psychological stability, adaptability, leadership, technical versatility), and grounded in the real-world astronaut corps and notable candidates from major agencies. 

Analysis of Current Astronaut & Spaceflight Candidates (by Agency)

1 - NASA (United States)

NASA maintains a corps of active astronauts with varied operational experience—from ISS missions to Artemis mission training—with broad technical and mission specialties. 

Strong candidates include:

• Jessica Watkins – Experienced in ISS missions; geoscientist with strong analog mission roles. 

• Jonny Kim – Ex-Navy SEAL, test pilot, physician; excellent leadership under stress. 

• Raja Chari – Test pilot and commander material with operational spaceflight experience. 

NASA’s newest astronaut candidates (class of 2025) have diverse STEM and operations backgrounds—test pilots, geologists, biomedical officers—but they are still in training, making them more suited to future rotational crews than initial settlement teams. 

2 - Canadian Space Agency (CSA)

Canada’s active astronauts include Jeremy Hansen, Joshua Kutryk, Jenni Gibbons, and David Saint-Jacques. These individuals have training tied to Artemis and ISS programs and bring strong engineering, robotics, and operations expertise. 

Jeremy Hansen is particularly relevant as an early Artemis crew member. 

3 - European Space Agency (ESA) & UK

ESA’s current cadre includes experienced flight astronauts such as Andreas Mogensen, and recently trained members like Rosemary Coogan, Sophie Adenot, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, and Raphaël Liégeois. These individuals have completed extensive psychological and survival testing, making them strong candidates for long-duration missions. 

4 - Australian Space Agency

Australia’s first qualified astronaut candidate, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, completed ESA training and provides strong interdisciplinary skills, though she lacks direct flight experience to date. 

5 - SpaceX (Commercial Spaceflight)

Anna Menon is a noteworthy SpaceX engineer-astronaut hybrid with direct commercial mission experience (Polaris Dawn) and biomedical and operations expertise, bridging technical and human-factor requirements. 

6 - Public Figures & Aspirational Candidates

Alyssa Carson, known as “NASA Blueberry”, is a well-known space enthusiast who has completed many outreach and preparatory programs but is not an officially selected professional astronaut under any space agency as of current records. She would require formal training and evaluation before eligibility. 

Proposed Crew for First Permanent Lunar Base (circa early 2040s)

Crew Size: 12 (balance of technical, medical, leadership, and psychological resilience)

1. Commander: Jonny Kim (NASA) – Multi-domain leadership, medical and operational expertise.

2. Deputy Commander: Jessica Watkins (NASA) – Experience in analog environments and geology.

3. Robotics & ISRU Lead: Jeremy Hansen (CSA) – Strong operations background, Canadarm expertise.

4. Orbital Systems & Navigation: Raja Chari (NASA) – Test pilot and mission systems experience.

5. Habitat Systems & Engineering: Anna Menon (NASA/SpaceX) – Biomedical and operations specialist.

6. Power & Energy Specialist: Andreas Mogensen (ESA) – Engineer with flight and EV experience.

7. Geological Science Lead: Sophie Adenot (ESA) – Strong science and exploration focus.

8. Life Support & Closed-Loop Systems: Joshua Kutryk (CSA) – Operations and systems knowledge.

9. Medical Officer: Medical scientist astronaut from NASA candidate pool – in development (e.g., Rebecca Lawler or Lauren Edgar from NASA class of 2025, pending completion). 

10. Earth-Base Interface Specialist: Raphaël Liégeois (ESA) – Command and crew coordination strength.

11. Resource & Structural Materials Specialist: Pablo Álvarez Fernández (ESA) – ISRU design and construction focus.

12. Communications & Remote Ops Officer: Rosemary Coogan (ESA/UK) – Strong performance in survival and systems training. 

Rationale: This team balances leadership, ISS/Artemis experience, engineering, science, medical capacity, and international representation necessary for a sustainable lunar settlement.

Proposed Crew for First Permanent Martian Base (mid-2040s)

Crew Size: 14 (due to increased autonomy, psychological need, and redundancy)

1. Mission Commander: Jonny Kim (NASA) – Proven leadership under extreme stress.

2. Deputy Commander & Operations: Jessica Watkins (NASA) – Versatility in mission and science tasks.

3. Chief Systems & Habitat Engineer: Andreas Mogensen (ESA)

4. Power & Nuclear Systems Lead: Raja Chari (NASA)

5. Life Support & Bioregenerative Systems Officer: Pamela/ISRO NASA hybrid expert (Emerging) – (Candidate from NASA class of 2025/2030 with life science specialization.)

6. Geology & Resource Extraction Lead: Sophie Adenot (ESA)

7. Medical Officer & Human Factors Lead: Anna Menon (NASA/SpaceX)

8. Robotics & Automation Engineer: Joshua Kutryk (CSA)

9. Communications & Navigation Officer: Raphaël Liégeois (ESA)

10. Agriculture/Bioproduction Specialist: NASA candidate Lauren Edgar (NASA class of 2025) 

11. Thermal & Habitat Structural Lead: European reserve astronaut (e.g., Marcus Wandt/ESA) 

12. Psychological Resilience & Culture Officer: Rosemary Coogan (ESA/UK)

13. **Mission Analyst & Earth Ground Liaison: NASA/Commercial hybrid candidate (emerging)

14. Reserve/Spare Capacity & Multi-Domain Scientist: Isaac National astronaut from emerging agency (joint partner)

Rationale: A Martian crew requires redundancy, capacity for unplanned contingencies, and specialties in biology, life support, and closed-loop ecosystems. It also integrates strong leadership, systems engineering, and psychological fitness adapted for delayed-communication environments.

The crews above are drawn from existing, trained astronauts and emerging astronaut candidates with documented operational, scientific, and leadership credentials.

This group embodies the selection criteria necessary for long-term habitation and autonomous operation on the Moon and Mars:

• Resilience and adaptability

• Cross-domain technical competency

• Strong leadership and conflict mitigation skills

• Completed agency-recognized training and, where possible, flight experience

These selections are indicative, not definitive; subsequent selection frameworks would refine choices based on advanced simulation performance, long-duration isolation studies, and integrated multi-national training programs.

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