North Carolina Labor Commissioner Luke Farley honored North Carolina native and NASA astronaut Christina Koch at an event at the Department of Labor on Wednesday, touting her accomplishments and her inspiration to the next generation of students and workers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Koch, who grew up in Jacksonville and knew that she wanted to be an astronaut at a young age, served aboard Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years, in April.
“As a young North Carolinian, she looked up at the sky, and she didn’t just wonder what was out there,” Farley said, adding that both he and Koch are from Onslow County. “She learned the science behind it. She mastered the engineering. She did the training. She put in the hours and she accepted the challenge, and when her moment came, she climbed aboard that spacecraft.”
Farley said that her story is reflective of a North Carolina story.
“It’s a story about hard work,” he said. “It’s about curiosity about getting the job done, and I think most importantly, the willingness to take on something bigger than yourself.”
Koch was a student at White Oak High School in Jacksonville and is a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and NC State University.
In 2013, she was selected to be a NASA astronaut, and, in addition to the Artimis II mission, she set the record for the longest single flight in space by a woman, spending 328 days in space from March 2019 to February 2020 aboard the International Space Station.
Farley also presented Koch with the Order of the Tar Heel, which recognizes individuals who have made a lasting impact through exceptional leadership, dedicated service, and meaningful contributions that strengthen communities and the workforce.
“Christina embodies the very best of North Carolina,” he said.
He also bestowed the honor on Pope Leo XIV earlier this year.
Farley also noted the special role that 22 North Carolina companies have played with their contributions to the Artemis program, including A-B Emblem, which made the mission patch for the Artemis mission.
NC Values instilled at a young age
Koch said that something that was instilled in her growing up in Onslow County was a moral compass and that every single human has the same intrinsic value.
“I also learned to dream big, because when I would look up through the pine trees in my backyard and see that sky, I found that I loved things that made me feel small, and you can find that in the mountains, you can find that in the ocean, and you can find that in all the way they call you to explore, because not only do we have big things but we do big things here,” she said.
Koch said what is most important isn’t a certain milestone, like a record number of miles traveled or how many days were spent on a mission, but the impact that is made at home, noting the Department of Labor, which is “near and dear to her heart,” does that in making sure everyone gets a fair shake no matter their contribution.
North carolina special even from space
She recounted that the most surprising thing that she saw from space was looking down at the earth and seeing the Atlantic Coast and finding North Carolina
“Anyone from Onslow County knows how you find the Outer Banks,” Koch said. “Trace them to where they hug the coastline, go a little bit lower and look for the big New River inlet, and that’s Onslow County. It makes a little heart. And sure enough, when my eyes realized that I was looking at that iconic coastline, everything about where I grew up, and the people I love, my family were all down there, it literally took my breath away. This place is a special place on all of Planet Earth.”
She said there were three elements to making the Artemis mission a success: teamwork, leadership, and family.
While people saw the camaraderie among the crew, it didn’t come easy, according to Koch, who said they worked with psychologists and cultural experts to make sure it was more than just a space mission.
In regards to leadership, she was also reflective of a phrase that she and the crew have seen at Capitol Hill: “Where there is no vision, the people perish,” and all leaders should do that.
The last component of the team, Koch said, is family, which is the most common thing in all of humanity.
“When we looked back at earth, what did we see?” she said. “We saw love. Astronauts have a saying; The family has the hardest job. I think that is true across a lot of areas.”
everyone’s dreams matter
Koch said that everyone is special, no matter their age, and that their dreams matter and are worth fighting for.
“No matter what dreams those might be, whether in STEM or to become an astronaut, or to become a farmer, or to become machinist, every single dream is important, and hopefully our mission and the ethos that you allowed us to carry by taking the mission into your heart will allow that mission to propagate across all walks of life,” she said.
Inspiration for young girls or for anyone who wants to follow in her footsteps, Koch said, comes from a sense of community and connectedness and truly take a genuine interest in that person and make a connection.
“When I think about the heroes I had and how much they inspired me, I actually have to go back to that to understand how important it is for representation because I feel like I’m just a person who had my role in the mission like everybody else, but when I think about what it meant to me to meet Sally Ride and shake her hand and look into her eyes, that allows me to recognize these milestones are important for people and it is important to look into everyone’s eyes and validate their dreams,” she said.
While she will continue her work with NASA, Koch said she hasn’t figured out exactly what her next big work project will be. But she is taking some time to spend with her family and working on a goal that she says really scared her: restoring her family’s sailboat near Cape Lookout.
She also met with Raleigh-area fourth-graders during a Q&A session and a business roundtable.
Koch was honored on Tuesday at NC State with the renaming of Engineering Building II as Koch Hall and the release of a limited-edition Howling Cow ice cream flavor called “Howl at the Moon.”
