Effort in Congress would grant Artemis II astronauts rare honor: Exclusive

• The Artemis II mission marked the first time in over 50 years that humans flew near the moon.
• The Congressional Gold Medal is one of the highest civilian honors awarded by Congress.
• If the bill is signed, the Artemis II crew would be the first astronauts to receive the honor since the Apollo 11 crew in 2009.

The crew members of Artemis II have already become the first astronauts in more than 50 years to fly near the moon. Now, the four of them could become the first astronauts in nearly two decades to be honored with one of the most prestigious civilian awards in the nation.

The USA TODAY Network has learned that two U.S. lawmakers are behind new bipartisan legislation that would award the Artemis II astronauts a Congressional Gold Medal. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona – a former astronaut – is joining retiring Nebraska GOP Rep. Don Bacon to introduce bills Wednesday, June 24, in both the House and Senate, Kelly's office confirmed exclusively to the USA TODAY Network.

If the legislation passes and is signed by President Donald Trump into law, it would make the Artemis II astronauts the first crew to receive a Congressional Gold Medal since the honor was bestowed on the Apollo 11 crew in 2009 – 40 years after that historic mission.

Here's everything to know about the Congressional Gold Medal, and why some lawmakers think the Artemis II astronauts earned the recognition amid NASA's drive to return humans to the moon.

Artemis II astronauts up for Congressional Gold Medal

News of the impending legislation comes more than two months after NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency's Jeremy Hansen returned from the landmark Artemis II spaceflight.

While it's rare for astronauts to be nominated for a Congressional Gold Medal, Kelly and Bacon said in statements to the USA TODAY Network that the Artemis II mission was historically significant enough to make the crew worthy of the honor.

“Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy carried human space exploration farther than it has ever gone before,” Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut who attended the Artemis II launch in Florida, said in a statement. Kelly is also considering a 2028 run for president.

"They reminded Americans what we're capable of when we work together," Kelly continued. "They inspired the next generation of scientists, explorers, and engineers. For pushing the boundaries of human achievement, the Artemis II crew deserves this honor.” 

In a statement, Bacon praised the "extraordinary astronauts" and said the mission carried on the iconic Apollo program's legacy in space exploration. The astronauts, Bacon said, "carried that legacy farther than any humans have ever traveled from Earth."

What is a Congressional Gold Medal?

The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and one of the highest civilian honors awarded by Congress.

The medal was first awarded in 1776 to George Washington during the American Revolution. Since then Congress has broadened the recognition to include civilians and groups who have made a "long-standing impact on American history and culture," according to the Smithsonian.

To date, the only other time astronauts were awarded the medal was in 2009 when Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins received the honor for their part in the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969.

What was the Artemis II mission?

The second mission under NASA's multibillion-dollar Artemis program, Artemis II marked the first time humans flew near the moon in more than 50 years.

The four astronauts rode in NASA's Orion spacecraft, which hitched a ride to space atop NASA's powerful 322-foot Space Launch System rocket during an April 1 launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

During the 10-day spaceflight, the Orion vehicle carried the astronauts around the moon and back to Earth without landing on the lunar surface.

Along the way, Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen surpassed a record set during the infamous Apollo 13 mission in 1970 – traveling a historic 252,756 miles from Earth. They also bore witness to sights of the moon's far side never before seen by human eyes while traveling as close as 4,067 miles above the surface during a lunar flyby.

Splashing down April 10 in the Pacific Ocean near California, the mission ultimately served as a successful test flight ensuring that both the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft operated as expected during a crewed mission.

Upcoming Artemis III to precede moon landing

NASA is already making preparations for the next mission under the lunar campaign, the ultimate objective of which is to send humans back to the moon and construct a $20 billion moon base where astronauts can live and work.

Due for 2027, Artemis III aims to send a new crew of astronauts – NASA's Randy Bresnik, Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, as well as the European Space Agency's Luca Parmitano – on an Orion vehicle to Earth orbit, where they will spend two weeks testing spacesuits and docking capabilities with two commercial lunar landers. Those landers are Blue Origin's Blue Moon lander, and SpaceX's Starship HLS (human landing system).

The mission is a complex one involving three separate rocket launches – NASA's SLS, Blue Origin's New Glenn and SpaceX's Starship – to get all three spacecraft to orbit.

A successful test mission would set the stage for the first human moon landing under the program during Artemis IV. Targeted for 2028, the mission would be the first time humans set foot on the moon since NASA's iconic Apollo era ended in 1972.

NASA views the moon program as a vital stepping stone to eventually send the first crewed expeditions to Mars – and it all largely began with Artemis II.

Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at [email protected]