NASA's Artemis II crew is living an adventure that looks like a sci-fi movie, but the brave astronauts are also passionate fans of space movies.
In an adorable moment, NASA Mission Control quotes the movie Project Hail Mary while talking to the crew. Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen are returning to Earth after a successful flight around the Moon, traveling 250,000 miles (402,300 km).
When Commander Wiseman described the stunning view of the lunar surface, Mission Control jokingly responded: “Miracle! Miracle! Miracle!”
For those who haven't seen the movie, this is the typical phrase of 'Rocky', the friendly alien that scientist Ryland Grace, played by Ryan Reynolds, meets.
On social media, fans of the movies and space shared their excitement over the unexpected reference. One commenter wrote: “When the NASA team uses a phrase from a sci-fi movie, it’s priceless!” While another simply added: “This gives me so much joy.”
This unexpected exchange occurred during the six-hour flight around the moon, 41,072 miles (66,098 km) above the lunar surface. The Orion capsule reached an astonishing distance of 252,756 miles (406,771 km) from Earth, breaking the Apollo record and setting a new human record.
The astronauts were sending radio reports to Ground Control, describing the views they were seeing. Wiseman said: “We just realized we have the Earth in window four and the Moon in window three, and that gives you a great idea of the scale. The Moon is about three to four times bigger than the Earth, almost full, and the Earth looks like just a little crescent there. Very impressive – I took a picture with a wide lens. Impressive view.”
This prompted the response from the team on Earth: “Miracle! Miracle! Miracle! Thank you, Reid.”
NASA and the Artemis II crew are known fans of the original book and Andy Weir film. They even watched a special screening of the film with their families during quarantine before launch. Hansen said the film helped “prepare us for our space adventure.”
“Art imitates science and vice versa,” Hansen said. “I find it a very inspiring example – someone acting to save humanity. It’s an incredibly valuable example for all of us.”
The film has been so closely associated with NASA that Ryan Gosling and the Project Hail Mary team visited the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to discuss the connection between science and cinema.
The moment occurred just before the Orion capsule entered a planned communications blackout, as the Moon temporarily blocked radio signals. The blackout began at 18:43 p.m. ET and communications were restored about 40 minutes later.
Now Artemis II is transmitting the first photos of the far side of the Moon during this lockdown, including a striking image titled Earthset, where the Earth appears to disappear behind the lunar horizon — a direct homage to Earthrise, the famous Apollo 8 mission photograph from over 50 years ago.
After passing the Moon, the Orion capsule will return to Earth, with water expected on Friday, including a fiery re-entry into the atmosphere at speeds of about 25,000 miles per hour (40,200 km/h), before deploying parachutes and splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. /GazetaExpress/
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