NASA astronaut Joseph Acaba waves during an announcement Dec. 9, 2020, that he is one of the initial team of 18 astronauts eligible for early Artemis missions on and around the Moon. A California native, Acaba was selected as a NASA astronaut in 2004 and has logged a total of 306 days in space on three flights. Joining him at the event were fellow astronauts Matthew Dominick, Jessica Meir, Anne McClain, and Jessica Watkins. Vice President Mike Pence made the announcement at the close of a National Space Council meeting he chaired in the Apollo/Saturn V Center at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Under the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024.