Douglas, a recent graduate of NASA astronaut training school, holds four post-graduate degrees. He had worked as a staff member at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory where he worked on maritime robotics, planetary defense and space exploration missions for NASA.

"Andre's educational background and extensive operational experience in his various jobs prior to joining NASA are clear evidence of his readiness to support this mission," Joe Acaba, NASA's chief astronaut at Houston's Johnson Space Center, said in a statement.

"He excelled in his astronaut candidate training and technical assignments and we are confident he will continue to do so as NASA's backup crew member for Artemis II."

In the Artemis mission, NASA will be establishing its foundation for long-term scientific exploration on the moon with its international partners.

In April 2023, NASA announced Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor J. Glover Jr, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen as part of the Artemis II mission.

Last November, the Canadian Space Agency named Jenni Gibbons as its backup astronaut for the Artemis II mission.

"The selection of Douglas and Gibbons as backup crewmembers for Artemis II is independent of the selection of crew members for Artemis III," NASA said. "NASA has not yet selected crew members for Artemis flights beyond Artemis II. All active NASA astronauts are eligible for assignment to any human spaceflight mission."

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