Gordon Osinski, a professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at Western University (UWO), will be part of the team from the American space agency ("NASA") that will develop the scientific plan for the lunar surface for the "Artemis III" mission.

Experts will set plans for the scientific tasks that astronauts are supposed to perform when they land near the lunar south pole, an area rich in craters, in December 2025.

The astronauts will be the first to walk on the moon in over 50 years, specifically since December 1972.

The scientific tasks will also include field geological studies in addition to collecting lunar samples, images, and scientific measurements. According to "NASA", the data that will be collected will allow for a deeper understanding of fundamental planetary processes.

The exact landing site on the lunar surface has not yet been announced, but "NASA" says that when it is announced, they will use satellite images to determine the locations that astronauts will visit.

Gordon Osinski grew up in the United Kingdom and moved to Canada in 1999, and he has been teaching at Western University in London, Ontario, since 2007.

He is the only Canadian in the geology team recently announced by "NASA" for the "Artemis III" mission.

"NASA" plans several "Artemis" missions to explore more of the lunar surface with the aim of using the results for a potential mission to Mars.

The "Artemis 2" mission, which includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will send a crew of four into space in November 2024. The crew will travel around the far side of the moon.

This will be the first time that humans venture this distance away from Earth.

"Artemis 3" will be the first mission in which humans go to the lunar south pole.

Gordon Osinski is also responsible for the first mission of the Canadian lunar lander. In 2026, a Canadian vehicle will explore the lunar surface to find ice formed from water, a first of its kind in history.