NASA answers Artemis II crew with Project Hail Mary’s Rocky quote

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The crew of the Artemis II mission enjoyed the novel Project Hail Mary, and the recent film adaptation has become so popular that NASA staff were even overheard quoting the movie’s memorable alien character, Rocky, when discussing images taken from space.

Yesterday, the four astronauts on the Orion spacecraft finished an unprecedented trip around the Moon. This historic flight made them the first people to travel farther from Earth than anyone before, and it’s a major step toward future lunar missions.

Before launching into space, astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen spent two weeks in quarantine to make sure they were healthy. During that time, they were able to watch the movie Project Hail Mary, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller.

Even though the science fiction film is completely made up, the filmmakers say they drew inspiration from the character of Ryland Grace, the brave biologist played by Ryan Gosling, who isn’t an astronaut. And it seems many others were inspired by the story as well.

NASA quotes Project Hail Mary’s Rocky during Artemis II lunar flyby 

While describing the stunning view during the live broadcast of the Artemis II lunar flyby, astronaut Reid Wiseman received an unexpected response from a NASA communications team member: “Amaze, amaze, amaze”—a famous line from the novel Project Hail Mary.

Artemis 2 mission control making a project hail mary refrence!!!

— Thomas the Multi Troop Transport (@Foxfoxtrot9) April 6, 2026

The comment came after Wiseman pointed out that they could see Earth through one window and the Moon through another, giving everyone a much clearer sense of how vast everything is.

The Moon appears much larger than Earth from here – almost full while Earth looks like a tiny crescent. It’s a truly stunning sight, and I was able to capture it with my wide-angle lens. The view is absolutely majestic.

Mission Control jokingly replied, “Amazing, amazing, amazing. Thanks, Reid.” Fans have widely celebrated the moment, with one commenting, “It’s wonderful how this film or story will always be linked to this important event!”

One observer remarked that the NASA team referencing a science fiction movie was a truly special moment. Another added that the combination of a quote from Rocky and the view from the Artemis II mission was NASA showcasing beautiful and powerful imagery.

This wasn’t the only special moment during the mission. Ryan Gosling sent a message to the crew before their April 1st launch, explaining that he portrays a biologist in the movie Project Hail Mary who travels to space to protect Earth.

Ryan Gosling joined the NASA Artemis II livestream, appearing with other celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson and Stanley Tucci.

— Project Hail Mary Updates (@HailMaryLogs) April 1, 2026

The Artemis II astronauts are truly heading to space, and they’ll journey farther from Earth than anyone has before. We’re sending our best to the entire Artemis II crew!

Jeremy Hansen had the chance to reply to a message during a session with the Canadian Space Agency, sharing, “We all feel incredibly fortunate. We were able to watch the movie Hail Mary while we were in quarantine.”

It was great that they let us watch that with our families, and it really got us excited about the possibility of exploring space ourselves.

Hansen commented on Ryan Gosling’s performance, saying that art and science often influence each other. He praised Gosling’s work in the film and expressed his pleasure at seeing actors embrace such complex characters.

The movie was incredibly inspiring, showing someone who took action to protect people. It’s a powerful story that offers a great example for all of us, and we all found it really uplifting.

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2026-04-07 12:50