Artemis II Crew Surprises 5-Year-Old Who Went Viral During Their Mission — and One of the Astronauts Gets a Hug in Return
Jack, who went viral for his love of space during Artemis II's launch from the Kennedy Space Center, just received a special surprise from all four crew members
Credit: Gail Schulman/CBS Mornings
NEED TO KNOW
-
The Artemis II crew surprised 5-year-old Jack, a space superfan, with a signed flight suit
-
Jack, who went viral for his love of space during Artemis II's launch from the Kennedy Space Center, received a special surprise from all four crew members during a CBS town hall event
-
The Artemis II mission marked the first crewed moon trip since 1972 and set a record for farthest human travel distance
The Artemis II crew had a big surprise in store for an aspiring astronaut!
On Friday, May 1, a 5-year-old boy named Jack — who went viral when he was interviewed during their launch when he adorably said he was "so obsessed with space" — received a special surprise in the form of a signed orange flight suit, just like the one the astronauts wore during their mission.
Crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen gave him the signed suit during a CBS Sunday Mornings town hall , which was hosted by Gayle King and Tony Dokoupil. He even earned himself a nickname from Koch: "Commander Jack."
"We would like to have you on our team, what do you think?" Koch asked during the adorable encounter, to which Jack replied with a nod before giving the NASA astronaut a big hug.
Jack's mother said that her son's emotional reaction made her feel "amazing."
"We're so incredibly thankful," she shared. "Jack has been hugely inspired by this mission and by all of you, so thank you so much for everything you're doing — obviously not just for Jack, but for all of humanity."
Credit: Gail Schulman/CBS Mornings
Jack was interviewed several times during the course of the Artemis II mission, including during the launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, and again when the astronauts returned to Earth safely , per CBS.
The group of four astronauts splashed down off the coast of San Diego on Friday, April 10, after making a historic trip around the moon.
During the adventure, which marked the first time astronauts headed to the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, the Artemis II crew set a record for the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from Earth, breaking the previous mark of 248,655 miles by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Credit: Gail Schulman/CBS Mornings
The trip took on a poignant turn when the Artemis II crew named a newly discovered moon crater as Carroll, after Wiseman's wife who died of cancer in 2020.
It was the first crewed flight of the NASA-led Artemis program, aimed at returning humans to the moon for the first time since 1972.
During a press conference in Houston on April 11, Koch opened up about the support of her crewmates during the mission.
"A crew is a group that is in it all the time, no matter what, that is stroking together every minute with the same purpose, that is willing to sacrifice silently for each other, that gives grace, that holds accountable," said Koch.
Koch said that the trip reminded her that we are all a "lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe."
"I know I haven't learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me, but there's one new thing I know," she concluded. "And that is, planet Earth, you are a crew."
Read the original article on People
