Durham received a cosmic moment in the spotlight this week when U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee spoke live with the crew of Artemis II as they completed their groundbreaking journey around the moon.
During Thursday night’s call, Foushee, a Democrat from Hillsborough, congratulated the four-member crew and singled out astronaut Christina Koch, whose roots run deep in North Carolina. Koch grew up in Jacksonville, attended the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, and later earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from North Carolina State University.
Foushee praised the Artemis II astronauts for making history and inspiring a new generation.
“You are an inspiration,” Foushee told the crew. “You make us all proud Americans.”
She also noted her personal connection to Koch’s story, saying she was proud to represent Koch’s high school in Durham.
Foushee then asked the crew what message they had for young people who might see themselves reflected in the mission, particularly because Koch became the first woman to travel that far into space and Victor Glover became the first person of color to do so.
Koch responded by shifting the focus away from individual milestones and toward broader opportunity.
“We don’t necessarily see any one individual deserving accolades for being a first,” Koch said. “What we see is something to celebrate that we are in a time when everyone who has a dream has to work equally and gets to work equally hard to achieve that dream.”
Koch said it is meaningful for children to see people who look like them participating in historic missions. But she encouraged young people to think beyond simply reaching a destination.
“Focus on excellence,” she said. “Focus on being the best that you can be in any team, in any mission, contributing to any endeavor.”
Koch also told Foushee that Durham remains close to her heart.
“All of my family lives there,” she said. “Durham is very near and dear to my heart.”
Artemis II launched on April 1 and carried four astronauts 252,756 miles around the moon and back, marking humanity’s first lunar mission since 1972. The spacecraft safely returned to Earth shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern time Friday, completing a mission that served as a major step toward returning humans to the moon’s surface.
