As NASA’s Artemis II crew flew by the moon, capturing sensational images, a ground-crew agent quoted Rocky, the alien hero from Ryan Gosling's recent sci-fi blockbuster Project Hail Mary. For many, the moment imbued an already historic event with an added sense of timelessness and poignancy.
The crew of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen watched the movie during their two-week quarantine before their record-breaking mission of flying by the moon.
Commander Reid Wiseman, briefing the mission control center, poetically described the view as the vessel passed the moon:
The Moon is about three to four times the size of the Earth, and it is almost full, and the Earth is just a small crescent out there. It’s magnificent. I got a picture of it with the wide lens. Such a majestic view out here.
Then there was a three-second pause, before one of the mission-crew agents back on Earth responded:
Amaze. Amaze. Amaze.
Rocky's “Amaze, Amaze, Amaze” catchphrase was mentioned in NASA communications with the Artemis II crew. pic.twitter.com/2c45nuGdiR
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By bringing in the very latest pop culture, the ground agent called upon the zeitgeist to drum up social media interest in particular.
There were glowing reactions from fans, with one user in particular claiming that NASA was “flexing pure cosmic poetry.”
A few days prior to the launch, Ryan Gosling, lead actor in Project Hail Mary, recorded a message for the crew, saying: “I play a biologist who goes to space to save the planet in the film Project Hail Mary.”
“But the Artemis II astronauts are going to space for real, and they will travel farther from Earth than any humans in history. Sending all our best wishes to the Artemis II crew.”
Ryan Gosling made an appearance during NASA’s Artemis II livestream, alongside stars like Scarlett Johansson and Stanley Tucci. pic.twitter.com/TlZLZ9FPNt
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Astronaut Jeremy Hansen summed up how art and science can converge to make an astronaut launch more appealing.
“I thought it was just such an inspirational example of somebody who goes out there and just gets what was done to save humanity. It’s a pretty extraordinary example that we can all follow. We all thought that movie was really uplifting and inspiring,” he said.
The mission of Artemis II has historical overtones that will surely prime future astronauts and further pique the curiosity of the general public.
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