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Christina Hammock Koch

@astro_christina

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NASA Astronaut. Flew Artemis II mission around the Moon. Lived and worked on the International Space Station.

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First braids to leave Earth orbit. (unconfirmed) by @astro_christina

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2 months ago

‪To all those reaching to new heights: yes you can. #AllWomanSpacewalk ‬ by @astro_christina

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7 years ago

Raglan, #NewZealand surf cam from the @iss: looking pretty lined up last weekend. #SwellFromSpace by @astro_christina

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6 years ago

Crew Joy!Couldn’t be more thrilled to pass the baton to dear friends, a space brother and a backup crewmate! Now we get to watch this incredible mission unfold.https://www.nasa.gov/mission/artemis-iii/ by @astro_christina

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12 hours ago

New Orion riders coming soon. Check it out in just about 12 hours.We couldn’t be happier to pass the batons to the Artemis III crew and watch the mission continue, the records be surpassed.NASA will provide an update on the agency’s Artemis III mission and announce the astronauts assigned to the test flight during a live event at 11:30 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 9.The event will stream on NASA+, the NASA app and on NASA’s YouTube channel. by @astro_christina

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a day ago

It looks like an ordinary beach. To me, it was much more. Not one month after returning from the mission, the world was still new again. I felt the wonder of standing on west coast sand, having driven from Santa Barbara to Ventura early in the morning of another interview trip. Every detail, natural and cultural, jumped out at me like a welcoming.The people around me didn’t know I was feeling an electric gratitude for the gift of this moment. They didn’t know that when I looked out I saw the same ocean that cradled our space capsule just weeks ago; that when I looked up, I saw vividly what the sky looks like from the other side. They didn’t know I was nervous to find a friend of a friend who would show me the ropes in a new surf break, or how I wasn’t sure I was ready to wade into either California swell or new social interactions. But the want to connect to both nature and something of my own, plus the kindness of a stranger, led to a soul-filling session that I will never forget. When the Earth was still new. by @astro_christina

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4 days ago

No warning sign, no trailer, no opening act. Just THIS suddenly out the window on Flight Day 2. In case you hadn’t been knocked out yet today. by @astro_christina

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6 days ago

Can it get more Canadian than this? The crew really enjoyed having some maple flavour aboard the Integrity spacecraft! by @astro_christina

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7 days ago

Finally, I’m truly back. A North Carolina homecoming was just the trick.Hugging my parents, all my siblings, all my nieces and nephews, and lifelong friends completed my return to Earth and filled my heart with joy and thanks.Practicing zero-G hair on the jungle gym, kiddo road trips to Grandpa’s, yard and boat work in the green of Spring, community sports ball, indoor rock climbing, and family karaoke made for a trip home to fill the soul!Leaving your home planet is a way to stamp what is most important of all. by @astro_christina

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12 days ago

Another “Murph” in the books. A great way to be back with friends fighting gravity and coming together to honor those who gave everything.The “Murph” is a legendary “hero” workout in honor of U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2005. It is traditionally done on Memorial Day as a commemoration of physical and mental endurance to pay tribute to fallen service members.Through the years, I have always had the privilege of doing this alongside service members and hearing what it means to all of us is a special part of Memorial Day. by @astro_christina

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14 days ago

3…2…1…INTEGRITY! Very powerful and emotional to gather with our entire training team last week. I love this picture. The crew is in there somewhere, surrounded by the true heroes of this mission who gave their All to fly us and bring us home. LETS GO ARTEMIS III… by @astro_christina

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23 days ago

New Moon. 🎧🔊On. The moment we first shared the far side.Yes, Apollo missions went around the far side of the moon. However, they didn’t see all of it. Here’s why.First, the far side was often dark when they orbited. This is because they landed on the near side, so it needed to be light for the astronauts exploring the surface. Since only half of the moon is lit by the sun at any given time, when the near side is lit, the far side is at least partly dark.Second, Apollo saw small swaths of the surface of the moon as they orbited. This is because they were at a very low altitude and thus had a small, close-up field of view. When we flew around the moon, we were high enough that we saw an entire half at once, but farther away. The part of the far side that was lit included an absolutely incredible, massive and significant crater basin named Orientale. It had never been fully observed before in person.And that is how you all brought human eyes to see a new part of the solar system. by @astro_christina

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a month ago