Why I Can’t Stop Thinking About These Four Astronauts

I am completely obsessed with the four Artemis II astronauts who just flew to the Moon and back.

I don’t know about you, but I spent hours watching the landing and couldn’t sleep until I saw them emerge from the capsule—alive, standing, smiling—in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego.

What a mission.

But it wasn’t just the distance or achievement. It was something harder to name.

NASA mission control called it “moon joy.” And that’s exactly what it felt like. You could sense it through every broadcast, briefing, and image sent back from 240,000 miles away.

Jeremy Hansen, one of the astronauts, talked about something they called the “joy train.” You could feel it the moment they started speaking from space.

There was also something striking about what they chose to name along the way.

One crater became “Integrity,” named after their spacecraft. Another was called “Carroll,” in honor of Commander Reid Wiseman’s late wife.

Even at the edge of the Moon, they were naming things after what mattered most.

I’ve been following all the coverage—NASA, Scientific American, everything. The images of Earthset alone are hard to forget: our entire planet suspended in silence.

Strangely grounding in a loud world.

At the homecoming in Houston, Jeremy Hansen said something that stayed with me:

“We are a mirror reflecting you. And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you.” (Click image to view the reel).

The hangar gave him a standing ovation. It makes sense why.

Christina Koch @astrochristina had spent years understanding what a crew meant. But after ten days in a capsule the size of a small living room, the word had grown into something larger. (Click image to play full reel).

A crew, she said:

“is a group that is in it all the time, stroking together every minute with the same purpose, willing to sacrifice silently for each other, giving grace, holding each other accountable. A crew has the same cares and the same needs. A crew is inescapably, beautifully, dutifully linked.”

“So when we saw tiny Earth, people asked our crew what impressions we had. Honestly what struck me wasn't just Earth, it was the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat, hanging undisturbed in the universe. So… I may have not learned everything that this journey has yet to teach me. But there is one new thing I know. And that is… planet Earth… YOU ARE A CREW.”

As musicians, creatives, and builders, this lands deeply.

We already know what it means to be part of something larger than ourselves.

It’s why we play in ensembles. Why we build festivals. Why we teach. Why we practice alone knowing someone else is doing the same somewhere else.

Even in solitude, we are connected by purpose.

Here’s what I’m sitting with this week:

Who are the 3–5 people who actually witness your growth—not just cheer for you, but really see it?

Is your current circle expanding your sense of what’s possible, or quietly shrinking it?

What voice is missing from your life right now—a mentor, a peer, someone slightly ahead of you?

Can you reach out to one person this week? Nothing big. Just a simple check-in.

And if your current season had a name… what would your “capsule” be called?

Christina Koch said it best:

“Planet Earth, you are a crew.”

So are we.

If you’re looking for yours, we’re here. You can explore Thrive (and the upcoming Amplify and Build groups).

With so much love,
Ixi

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