Artemis II is projected to launch in September of 2025.  While NASA solves some last minute problems to ensure the safety of the crew going to the moon, learn about the crew's commander, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman.

Gregory Reid Wiseman, born November 11, 1975, earned a degree in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a master's degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University.  Before becoming an astronaut, he was a Naval Aviator and served multiple deployments to the Middle East.  In 2004, he was assigned to be a Test Pilot for the Navy.  He is a highly decorated Naval Captain.

Wiseman was deployed to the Middle East when he was selected as an astronaut candidate.  As an astronaut, he has been to space as Flight Engineer aboard the International Space Station for Expedition 41 from May through November of 2014. During his mission, Wiseman and his crewmates completed over 300 scientific experiments.

On December 18, 2020, Wiseman was selected to be the chief of the Astronaut Office.  He served in that position for two years before stepping down in order to return to active flight rotation.  On April 3, 2023, he was selected to be the commander for the Artemis II mission.

Wiseman's wife Carroll passed away in 2020.  He has two teenage daughters and is a go-cart driver.

When people say snowflake, they often mean snow crystal.  A snow crystal is a single crystal of ice within which the water molecules are lined up in a hexagonal array.  That's probably the image you think of when you are thinking of a snowflake.  However, the term snowflake is actually a lot more general than that.  It can refer to a snow crystal, but it can also refer to almost anything that falls from winter clouds.

You may have heard that every snowflake is unique, but why is that?  Well, every snow crystal starts when an extremely cold water droplet freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky, forming a small hexagonal plate.. Branches sprout from the corners as it grows larger.  As a snow crystal tumbles through the clouds, it experiences different temperatures and humidities, which affect the growth of the snowflake's branches in unique ways.  No two snowflakes are the same because no two snowflakes have had the exact same journey through the atmosphere!

Contrary to popular belief, most snowflakes are not perfectly symmetrical.  The branches will look similar because they have all been through the same changes as they moved through the atmosphere, but irregular snowflakes are much more common than the near-perfect kind.

Now that we know a little bit about snowflake science, here's an experiment you can try at home to make your own "snowflake".

Borax Snowflake
What you'll need:

• String
• Wide mouth jar
• White pipe cleaners
• Boiling water (adult supervision)
• Borax
• Wooden pencil

Here's how you do it:

1. Take pipe cleaner and cut it into 3 equal parts. Then arrange pipe cleaner parts into a star shape by making an “X” with two of the pipe cleaners and laying the last pipe cleaner down the middle. Twist pipe cleaners where necessary to keep them holding together.
2. Take one end of a pipe cleaner and attach a piece of string to it. Then attach the other end of the string to the pencil.
3. Carefully fill the jar with the boiling water. Keep track of how many cups of water you use to fill the jar. (Do this entire step with adult supervision or let an adult do this part.)
4. For each cup of water that is in the jar, add three tablespoons of borax. Then, stir until most or all of the borax has dissolved into the water.
5. Put the star into jar and let the pencil rest on the edges of the jar.
6. Leave the star overnight and in the morning you should have a beautiful snowflake!

*As featured on Fox 13's The Place

What you'll need:
Balloon
Marker
Bottle with narrow neck
Funnel
Baking soda
Vinegar
Red food dye (optional)

Here's how you do it:
1. Draw a heart on the balloon.
2. (Optional step) Use the red food coloring to dye about a cup of vinegar red.
3. Pour vinegar into the bottle.
4. Using the funnel, put a tablespoon or two of baking soda into the balloon.
5. Being careful not to dump any baking soda into the vinegar, stretch the neck of the balloon around the neck of the bottle.
6. Dump the baking soda into the vinegar and watch your heart grow!

As we celebrate Black History Month, meet some of the amazing heroes whose contributions advanced space travel!

*As featured on KSL Studio 5

Model Heart
What you'll need:
Mason jar
Water
Balloons-one large and one small
Scissors
Rubber bands
Two bendy straws

Here's how you do it:
1. Fill the mason jar about half full with water.
2. Cut off the neck of the large balloon.  Stretch the balloon over the top of the mason jar, securing with rubber bands.
3. Put two small holes in the top of the balloon.
4. Secure the small balloon to the top of one of the straws using a rubber band.
5. Put the straws through the small holes you made in the balloon.
6. Press down on the top of the balloon.  Water will come out of the straw that doesn't have a balloon secured on top of it.

• The pumping motion on the top of the balloon mimics how the heart pumps blood in our bodies.  The balloon on the straw works like the valves on the heart.  It opens when you press down on the other balloon, but closes when you release, causing the water to flow through the open straw.

Love Potion
What you'll need:
Baking soda
Vinegar
Red food coloring (optional)
Water
Clear bowl

Here's how you do it:
1. Using a little water, shape your baking soda into hearts.  If you want to, you can put a drop of food coloring in the center of the hearts.
2. Put vinegar in a clear bowl.  (Leave some room for the chemical reaction.)
3. Drop your baking soda hearts into the vinegar and watch your love potion bubble!

• When baking soda and vinegar mix, they cause a chemical reaction that creates water and carbon dioxide.  The carbon dioxide creates bubbles and rises!

Dissolving Heart
What you'll need:
Skittles
Warm water
Pie plate

Here's how you do it:
1. Arrange your skittles into a heart shape on your pie plate.
2. Carefully pour warm water over the skittles and observe as they dissolve.

• This is a density experiment.  The color on the skittles is more dense than the water, which makes the colors sink.  Each of the colors have a slightly different density, so the colors won't mix.

*As featured on KUTV2 Fresh Living

What you'll need:
Paper
Lemon juice
Q-tips
A heat source

Here's how you do it:
1. Put a small amount of lemon juice into a cup.
2. Dip your Q-tip into the lemon juice.
3. Draw or write a message to your sweetie using the lemon juice on the end of your Q-tip.
4. Allow your love note to dry for at least 20 minutes.
5. Apply heat.  On the show, our director Annika used a heat gun, but you can try any heat source!  See if it works better in the oven, next to a candle, or with the high setting on your hair dryer!  Let us know how it works for you.