Durham gets out-of-this-world shoutout from Foushee and astronaut Christina Koch
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Rep. Foushee congratulated the Artemis II crew and praised their inspirational mission.
- Astronaut Christina Koch spoke while completing her lunar journey.
- Artemis II traveled 252,756 miles as NASA’s first lunar excursion since 1972.
Durham received an out-of-this-world shoutout from outer space.
On Thursday night, Rep. Valerie Foushee, a Democrat from Hillsborough, called the crew of Artemis II, where astronaut Christina Koch was completing her journey around the moon.
Koch grew up in Jacksonville, attended the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from N.C. State.
Foushee congratulated the entire crew on their trip, saying they “are an inspiration” and “make us all proud Americans.” She added that she was proud to represent Koch’s high school.
“Dr. Koch, becoming the first woman; and Capt. Glover, the first person of color to travel this far into space: What message do all of you have for the next generation of explorers who may be seeing themselves in this mission for the first time?” Foushee asked.
Koch started by saying that they don’t necessarily see any one individual deserving accolades for “being a first.”
“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. “And so my message to those people is, yes, it is wonderful to feel inspiration because you see yourself in someone.”
Koch said she had that growing up and now more kids do, too.
“I think the message, the takeaway, would be you don’t have to focus on just being there.,” Koch said. “Focus on excellence. Focus on being the best that you can be in any team, in any mission, contributing to any endeavor, and that will get you not only the fulfillment and meaning of your life, but you’ll contribute the most to the world.”
Koch told Foushee it was “an honor” to speak with her and acknowledge her representation of the Durham area.
“All of my family lives there, and they’re all flying to Houston right now, hopefully to watch our splashdown,” Koch said. “Durham is very near and dear to my heart.”
Artemis II left Earth on April 1 with four crew members and traveled 252,756 miles around the moon and back. It was the first lunar excursion since 1972 and a test flight to return humans back to the moon’s surface. Koch is expected to be part of that flight.
Artemis II safely returned to Earth after 8 p.m. Eastern time Friday.
This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 3:29 PM.
