Space and Hope
2026 has been a rollercoaster on every level of existence. Waking up daily can feel like playing Roulette or Craps. You never know what you are going to get and often hope for the best. However, despite all the chaos, we witnessed something extraordinary recently—the return of humanity to the Moon. Like millions of others, I tuned in on April 1st to watch the launch of Artemis II. Like many Gen Xers, this was a return to our childhood. For us, watching shuttle launches was a highlight of our lives. We would wake up early to catch a televised launch. Space travel was ingrained into our DNA. Okay, at least we, the geeky nerds who watched Star Trek and Star Wars, are dreaming of visiting far-off galaxies. It was the one thing that brought everyone together. Gen X grew up in the wake of the Space Race.
So, watching four Gen X astronauts from the US and Canada travel around the Moon and back was a return to home. Yes, we held our breath gripping our chairs until our knuckles turned white for the first 78 seconds of the launch. Yes, we got boarding passes to hitch a ride, and yes, we teared up every step of the way. Most of all, we participate online with millions of people across the globe watching, cheering, and sharing our love and support for NASA, ESA and the ARTEMIS II crew. Yes, Rise and Reid stole the show. We know live with Rise and Reid.
The digital communications team for NASA did a remarkable job for this mission, and I hope they continue to feel the love from the community as we are about to imbark on more missions.
The ongoing missions - These joint missions are a light of hope in a world of uncertainty and chaos, something we really need right now. I find it interesting we always look to the stars for hope. So Artemis is a new hope (yeah, I see what I did there) for what can come of humanity.
My hope is that Gen Z and Gen Alpha can feel the hope and heart behind these missions. I hope the world remembers, we all in this together, and we come together as a whole to better humanity and the future of the world…and beyond.