They rode a Rocket City rocket around the Moon. Now they’re coming to Madison.
The four astronauts who made history aboard Artemis II will take the stage at Toyota Field on Monday night, giving North Alabama an opportunity to welcome the crew home and hear firsthand about a journey that carried humans around the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are expected to share highlights, behind-the-scenes stories and their experiences living and working aboard the Orion spacecraft during the nearly 10-day mission.
And there may be no more fitting place for the celebration than the Rocket City.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville manages the Space Launch System program, the massive rocket that launched the four astronauts from Kennedy Space Center on April 1. Marshall teams also built Artemis II’s Orion stage adapter, which connected the rocket’s upper stage to the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew.
Artemis II marked the first crewed flight of SLS and Orion and the first time humans had traveled to the Moon since the Apollo era. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off California on April 10 after completing the historic lunar flyby.
Along the way, they went farther from Earth than any humans in history.
Now North Alabama will get to hear their story in person.
The Artemis II crew presentation is scheduled from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Monday at Toyota Field. Gates open at 5 p.m.
Admission is free, but tickets are required and organizers say only a limited number are available. Tickets must be reserved online in advance, and there will be no walk-up admission Monday.
The event is being hosted by Toyota Field in conjunction with Artemis II industry partners and is part of a series of appearances by the crew following their return to Earth.
For Koch, the visit also represents a return to a city that played a role in her path to space. The Artemis II mission specialist attended Space Camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center as a child before eventually becoming a NASA astronaut.
Parking for Monday’s event is free, with guests entering through the Pepsi Gates beginning at 5 p.m. Select concessions will be available, including limited menus at Dumpster Dive and Gravity Grill.
What: Artemis II Crew Presentation
When: Monday, Aug. 31, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Gates: Open at 5 p.m.
Where: Toyota Field, Madison
Admission: Free with advance ticket; no walk-up tickets
Parking: Free
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