Football fans got an out-of-this-world experience Saturday after NASA astronaut and Pittsburgh area native Warren “Woody” Hoburg led a Terrible Towel twirl and spoke about the Artemis II flight on the NFL Draft stage.
While not a part of the Artemis II flight crew, Hoburg was able to watch the launch at the Kennedy Space Center.
“(The Artemis II mission) means so much because … it just feels like we’re getting started on something really big,” said Hoburg, a Marshall Township native.
The Artemis program was started to explore the moon. NASA’s plan is to land on the moon by 2028, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since 1972.
“We’re just getting started on the moon,” Hoburg said.
Young fans representing the “Artemis Generation” and Eva, NASA Glenn Research Center’s astronaut mascot, joined Hoburg on stage while they spoke about the dedication, discipline and training required to be successful in sports and STEM career fields.
“I wouldn’t have put space and the NFL together,” Hoburg said in an interview. “But there are actually surprisingly many analogies. Just thinking about all the work put in, like the draftees, to have a chance to even be drafted.
“Similarly, when we send people to space, I wish people could see all of the hard work and training and engineering that goes into making these missions a reality.”
Hoburg spent about a half-hour with the kids before going on stage. He said they exchanged patches and took photos.
“I was giving the kids who weren’t wearing Steelers gear a hard time,” Hoburg joked.
Hoburg took a Pittsburgh Steelers Terrible Towel to space with him in 2023 and presented it to the Rooney family upon his return.
He was the pilot of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission, logging 186 days in space during this first flight, and conducted two spacewalks that totaled 11 hours, 38 minutes.
If you’re wondering whether this yinzer brought a Terrible Towel to space, the answer is yes. Go @Steelers! pic.twitter.com/XdSzd2Jer2
— Woody Hoburg (@Astro_Woody) September 1, 2023
Hoburg said he’s excited to visit family members still living in the region. He looks forward to spending some time around the stadiums on the North Shore.
“When I was driving in here this morning,” Hoburg said. “I was just marveling at how picturesque this city is.”
