George Hahn

Two accomplished military pilots and an electrical engineer who spent nearly a year living aboard the International Space Station.

For a country poisoned by rising white nationalism, entrenched misogyny, and isolationism, the Artemis II crew is an antidote.

It included the first black astronaut, pilot Victor J. Glover, the first female astronaut, mission specialist Christina Hammack Koch, and the first non-American astronaut, Canadian mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, to travel to the moon.

As individuals, each broke barriers, but as a crew, they achieved greatness, as greatness is in the agency of others.

A crew is a group that is in it all the time, no matter what, that is stroking together every minute with the same purpose, that is willing to sacrifice silently for each other, that gives grace, that holds each other accountable, Koch said.

The Artemis II crew went to the moon not for the money, astronaut pay tops out at around $150,000 per year, or to serve their egos, but for us.

As mission specialist Hansen said at liftoff, we go for all humanity.

Confession.

I posted a lot of Artemis pictures, but privately wondered, what's the big deal?

We've already been to the moon.

I didn't experience moon joy, a phrase from Capcom that went viral, creating a rare moment of unity and goodwill.

This week, Mia Silverio, my research lead, wrote that NASA is one of the most underrated brands in the world.

Many luxury brands, hundreds of rappers, and Ariana Grande have associated themselves with NASA or its logo.

NASA's cultural cachet is, wait for it, on another planet.

The average age of the Prof G research and production team is 25.

They never saw us land on the moon.

The Apollo programs ended in 1972.

The Challenger disaster is something their parents remember.

In their lifetimes, our biggest moments in space have been probes, great science, no story, commercial space flights and reusable rockets, great stories, for investors, and tourism, a story nobody wants.

The Artemis program offers a story to inspire today's young people, just as the Apollo program inspired my generation.