Aww, NASA astronauts prepped for Artemis II’s moon mission by watching Project Hail Mary

If you thought pre-drinks before a big night out were elite, try pre-moon-film night. The crew of Artemis II apparently squeezed in a very on-theme movie watch before blasting off,  and yes, it starred Ryan Gosling playing a guy sent to space to save humanity.

Speaking ahead of the mission, astronaut Jeremy Hansen revealed they were sent an advance link to Project Hail Mary. Not a bad way to pass the time when you’re about to leave Earth.

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“We were all really lucky. We got to watch Project Hail Mary when we were in quarantine,” he told SpaceQ. “That was a real treat that they sent us a link to view that at home with our families, getting us ready to go on our own space adventure.”

The film follows Gosling as a regular science teacher turned reluctant space hero, and clearly it hit a nerve with people who were, you know, actually about to go to space. Hansen even gave Gosling his flowers, saying the film felt weirdly aligned with real life. Method acting but make it NASA.

“I would just say to Ryan that art imitates science and vice versa, it seems,” he said.
“He did a great job in that movie. It’s wonderful to see people really leaning into those roles.”

He added that the story’s whole “save humanity” vibe landed hard with the crew, calling it an “inspirational example” of stepping up when it matters.

“We all thought that movie was really uplifting and inspiring.”

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The NASA mission itself is just as dramatic as the film plot. Artemis II, made up of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Hansen and Christina Koch, has just wrapped up a history-making lap around the moon.

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It’s the first time humans have flown that route in over 50 years, and they’ve travelled farther from Earth than anyone ever has. Even Gosling himself got involved before launch, sending the crew a video message hyping them up.

“The Artemis II astronauts are going to space for real, and they will travel farther from the earth than any humans in history. Sending all our best wishes to the Artemis II crew,” he said.

And while Project Hail Mary is smashing records and living its best box office life, the Artemis II crew have taken things one step further by, well… actually doing it. No CGI required.

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Featured image credit: Amazon MGM, Jennifer Briggs/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock