Christina Koch Retires From Flight Status

Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch has stepped down from NASA flight status earlier in October. This means that all Artemis II astronauts are now retired from flight status. Christina Koch, who is the first woman to travel around the Moon, decided to step down from active flight assignemnts in favor of a management position. 

She is now Acting Deputy Cheif Engineer, according to NASA. Christina Koch started her career as a researcher in the Arctic and Antarctic, eventually becoming an astronaut in 2013. She spent nearly a year living and working aboard the International Space Station. Following her return to Earth, she was assigned to the Artemis II mission, which successfully brought humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972.