NC State Alumna Christina Koch Blasts Off on Artemis Two

0:00It's April 1st. I'm Corey with The Story. This is Durham News Today, driven by AI. NC State University is buzzing today as students gather for a watch party celebrating alumna Christina Koch blasting off on NASA's Artemis II. Mission. The first crew trip toward the moon in over 50 years. Koch, a three-time grad from the school, with degrees in physics and electrical engineering, makes history as the first woman on such a flight. The event kicks off around 5.30 p.m. at Talley Student Union with the launch broadcast live. Koch grew up right here in North Carolina, hitting the North Carolina School of Science and Math before dominating at NC State from 19, 99 to 2002. Her former advisor, physics professor emeritus Stephen Reynolds, remembers her as super energetic and driven, juggling multiple majors like a boss. She's no stranger to the campus scene either. Folks from the high-powered rocketry club have crossed paths with her at outreach gigs.

1:00Students are hyped, like sophomore electrical engineering major, Syda Yoxdheimer, who's been tracking Koch forever alongside her brother, they even. Built the Artemis Lego, set to mark the moment. Reynolds calls its spectacular, pointing out how Koch inspires the next gen of physics, kids dreaming big despite the slim odds, with only 10. Astronauts picked from over 8,000 applicants last year. Before this moonshot, Koch shattered records with a 328-day stint on the International Space Station from 2000, 19 to 2020. The longest single-space flight by a woman, and she did the first all-woman spacewalk. Postgrad, she engineered at NASA's Goddard Center, researched in Antarctica and Greenland, then BAM astronaut status. As the countdown ticks, NC states pride in Koch spotlights how hard work and hometown routes can launch you to the stars, proving anything's possible. If you grind, like she did.