The Wolfpack is about to welcome back one of its most famous graduates — and this time, she’ll have the Moon on her résumé. NASA astronaut Christina Koch is returning to NC State later this month for a public celebration following her history-making Artemis II mission.
NC State has agreed to serve as the North Carolina anchor for Koch’s visit, with the university hosting a two-day program on August 24 and 25, according to WRAL. The event, dubbed “Around the Moon and Pack,” will include a welcome-home celebration open to the public.
Artemis II Put Koch In The Lunar History Books
Koch became the first woman to leave low-Earth orbit and travel around the Moon as part of Artemis II, according to WRAL. The four-person crew launched April 1 and returned April 10 after a nearly 10-day flight that marked the first crewed mission beyond low-Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
NASA says the crew traveled as far as 252,756 miles from Earth during the mission, which included a lunar flyby and a trip behind the Moon. The agency’s profile of Koch notes that she previously spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station and took part in the first all-female spacewalks.
Artemis II was also Koch’s second spaceflight and her biggest hometown-style victory lap yet. Before NASA, she earned bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and physics and a master’s degree in electrical engineering at NC State, making her a three-time alumna, according to NC State News.
Public Events Will Connect Spaceflight To Student Dreams
The “Around the Moon and Pack” lineup will go beyond the obligatory applause and photo-op. WRAL reports that it includes a discussion with Koch and Chancellor Kevin Howell about how public universities can help students pursue ambitious goals, along with a session applying astronaut strategies to college life.
Some of the other events will be livestreamed, giving people outside Raleigh a way to join the celebration. The public format also fits Koch’s long-running role as a STEM advocate, particularly at the university where she studied, climbed rocks and began building the technical foundation for her NASA career.
Koch has returned to campus several times before, including for a 2020 commencement appearance and an honorary Doctor of Sciences degree. NC State has also highlighted her 2023 Red Chair Chat with the Wolfpack community, meaning her August visit will be less of a first introduction than a very large “welcome back” sign.
After orbiting the Moon, Koch will now bring the story back to Raleigh — where students, alumni and space fans can hear what the journey looked like from inside Orion. For NC State, the message is familiar: sometimes the next big campus destination is not another building, but the Moon.
