Next moon mission astronauts honored at UConn-San Diego State
- Covers college basketball
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato
HOUSTON — Before they take a spin around the moon next year, four astronauts entered NRG Stadium on Monday night excited to see a basketball game.
NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen were announced Monday as the first crewed mission to lunar orbit in more than 50 years. The Artemis II will launch in late 2024.
The four astronauts were honored at the national championship game between the UConn Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs, where they were excited to see Brian Dutcher’s squad attempt to beat the odds against the favored Huskies.
Koch is the first woman astronaut to be assigned to a lunar mission and Glover is the first Black astronaut to be assigned to a lunar mission. The crew will fly around the moon as part of their mission next year.
Glover, who briefly attended San Diego State, said he’d enjoy seeing the Aztecs cut down the nets.
“I would love to see the Aztecs bring one back to California but whoever wins, seeing those young people get out there and show us their craft, it’s an honor to be here to watch,” Glover said.
Koch grew up in North Carolina as a diehard NC State Wolfpack fan. She said she’s always had a passion for college basketball.
“As someone from North Carolina, where the Final Four, and especially this championship game, was the biggest thing all year, it’s amazing to be here,” Koch said. “I love a good underdog story. I love everything that goes into this, the challenges people put themselves through to be here. It’s an honor.”
Both Koch and Glover said they’re aware of the impact they could have on future generations as they’re set to make history as members of underrepresented groups on a moon mission.
“I think, for me, it’s not necessarily about any one individual’s accomplishment, but it’s about what we’ve chosen to value right now,” Koch said. “We’ve chosen that, as an organization and as a country, that we’re going to go for all and by all — that if we’re going to answer humanity’s call to explore, we need to look like all of humanity.”
Added Glover: “Our astronaut office looks like this. It represents America.”
Wiseman said he was stunned when he walked into NRG Stadium in Houston and he appreciates the journey both teams have gone through to reach the final stage of the season, a journey the astronauts understand.
“I think we were all in awe,” he said. “We were a little bit speechless. It is really cool to be in this place where these athletes at the absolute top of their lives are going to put it all on the line tonight. There are a lot of parallels.”
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