Lunar launch: ASU alumna Kelsey Young is the Artemis II mission’s lunar science lead
During the lunar flyby period, the Artemis II crew observed parts of the moon that had never been seen by human eyes. Photo by NASA/Robert Markowitz
Editor's note: This story was featured in the summer 2026 issue of ASU Thrive.
When Artemis II launched in April, sending astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, the mission broke records — and will help scientists understand undiscovered secrets, including the history of Earth and our solar system.
As lunar science lead for NASA’s Artemis II mission, Kelsey Young, ’12 MS and ’14 PhD in geological sciences, led the team that developed the lunar science plan and trained the crew to study the moon.
In this mission, the crew carried out scientific observations of the moon’s surface, including the far side and a huge crater called the Orientale Basin that wasn’t observed during the Apollo missions.
The launch made history as the first crewed flight to the moon in over 50 years, breaking the distance record previously held by Apollo 13 for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth.
This mission also will help get the U.S. ready for the big moment of landing humans on the moon again in Artemis IV, as well as for deep space exploration, including paving the way for going to Mars.
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ASU alumna Kelsey Young is the lunar science lead for NASA’s Artemis II mission.
Photo credit: Robert Markowitz/NASA
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Test subjects Kelsey Young and Tess Caswell evaluate lunar field geology tasks as part of the Exploration Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) night operations development tests conducted at Johnson Space Center’s Rock Yard.
Photo credit: Norah Moran/NASA – Johnson Space Center
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The Artemis II mission with four astronauts on board launched into outer space in April.
Photo credit: Joel Kowsky/NASA
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At ASU, Young says she cultivated a love of space science. “I discovered my passion for linking what I had always seen outdoors hiking with my family to what we can see on the surfaces of other planets. It’s this analog approach to planetary science that has become the focus of my career.”
Photo courtesy Kelsey Young
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“The science officer is the senior flight controller responsible for lunar science and geology objectives during Artemis missions,” Young said in a NASA article. “They will integrate with all the other console disciplines and ensure NASA’s lunar science objectives are seamlessly integrated into mission execution.”
Photo credit: Robert Markowitz/NASA
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