Post

The Artemis III Crew, from left to right: - Randy Bresnik, commander - Luca Parmitano, pilot (ESA) - Frank Rubio, mission specialist - Andre Douglas, mission specialist

Paul Byrne

@theplanetaryguy.com

I am excited to see this mission fly! And to see these folks do some cool flight testing and science! And it's awesome to see the diversity of ethnic backgrounds in the crew! But it's really disappointing that it's four dudes.

9/6/26, 4:19 pm7 reposts104 likes

Paul Byrne

@theplanetaryguy.com

9 June

Their official portrait (courtesy NASA):

Maria. Bee Kind 😇

@saveusfromfascism.bsky.social

9 June

True, that was my first thought.

Shannon Stirone

@shannonstirone.bsky.social

9 June

We have wonderful women astronauts why is this all men

Paul Byrne

@theplanetaryguy.com

9 June

I have NO idea, Shannon. And I don't expect we'll (ever) get insight into why this particular assemblage from the corps for this crew.

Shannon Stirone

@shannonstirone.bsky.social

9 June

I think it’s intentional which is unfortunate. There’s really no excuse not to have at least one woman involved at this stage (2026)

Leo Enright

@ollopa11.bsky.social

9 June

TBH it was a fairly narrow bench for this mission: a lot of the obvious female candidates have already clocked up serious rad exposure, so this gig might then rule them out for a trans-Van Allen flight. Pure speculation! Also - and threading softly here - a lot of fence-mending w/ Europe?

Liverpool Puddlaroni (RIP)

@explambdat.bsky.social

9 June

Alas they probably thought they had to throw a bone to misogynists in the WH before selecting Kayla Barron, Anne McClain, Jessica Meir, or Nicole Mann to land as part of Artemis IV