Mission specialist Christina Koch will have the highest-profile post-astronaut job, at least currently. While she remains at NASA, she will be promoted to acting deputy chief engineer for the entire agency. He will replace the current holder of that position, Katherine Van Hooser, who is retiring after 35 years at NASA. This is a fairly important role, in which Koch will oversee engineering teams and missions across the agency. In addition to orbiting the Moon and spending 328 consecutive days on the International Space Station, he also held leadership of NASA’s Astronaut Office and the Johnson Space Center in Houston. He will formally retain “astronaut management status,” but this means he is not on the spaceflight list. Mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, the only Canadian on the Artemis II crew, retired from the CSA and is no longer an active-duty astronaut. Concurrent with his work at the Canadian Space Agency, he had been a colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force; he has now moved to reservist status there. His focus remains on boosting Canada’s space sector, developing his nation’s ability to reach and access space without the help of a partner (say, the United States). As a reservist, you will not work full time; It sounds like you might be looking for the right opportunity to become your new day job. Pilot Victor Glover is back in school, but he won’t be taking any exams. A graduate of California Polytechnic State University, he is now an executive advisor to its president. What does that mean exactly? “We’re still figuring it out,” he said. “It won’t be nine to five… It will be where the school needs me most.” He looks like he could be a college fundraiser and advertiser, which would be a lot more relaxing than flying around the moon. Meanwhile, NASA has granted him astronaut emeritus status, meaning he will continue to advise and advise the agency and its astronauts, but he will not fly again. Mission commander Reid Wiseman also received astronaut emeritus status… and has announced nothing else. Functionally, he seems to help out where he can, but is otherwise semi-retired from NASA. The agency itself says that this gives it “the flexibility to look for other opportunities.” So, like Hansen, you’re probably biding your time and looking for the right next step, whatever that may be. In all four cases, it appears that once they circled the dark side of the Moon, each astronaut saw Earth and decided never to leave it again. They all received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor together and they all toured the country to applause and acclaim. Now everyone is adjusting to life after the Moon. Enjoy the rest and new roles, astronauts. You deserve them.
