NASA confirmed that the crossover between Ryan Gosling‘s new sci-fi film and the Artemis II lunar mission turned into far more than just good timing. Specifically, according to the astronauts themselves, the film played a meaningful role in getting the crew ready for their own real-life space adventure.
Artemis II astronaut says watching Project Hail Mary during quarantine was a treat
Speaking during a live televised event arranged by the Canadian Space Agency on Saturday, Hansen said that he and his crewmates were given access to the film while in quarantine with their families before liftoff.
He called it a genuine source of inspiration, adding, “Art imitates science and vice versa.” As the astronaut described it, the film and the mission arrived at almost the same moment.
Project Hail Mary hit theaters on March 20, and the Artemis II crew launched toward the moon on April 1, making the timing feel less like a coincidence and more like the universe leaning in.
The moment that actually set the internet off came when SpaceQ reporter Elizabeth Howell asked the crew about Ryan Gosling’s prerecorded video message, in which Gosling had told the astronauts, “I play a biologist who goes to space to save the planet in the film Project Hail Mary. But the Artemis II astronauts are going to space for real, and they will travel farther from Earth than any humans in history.“
Commander Reid Wiseman, floating behind Hansen, visibly dropped his jaw and spread his hands apart in a stunned gesture, exchanging grins with a delighted Victor Glover behind him, while the full auditorium at the Canadian Space Agency headquarters broke into laughter.
Hansen responded warmly on the crew’s behalf, saying, “We are all really lucky. I would just say to Ryan, he did a great job in that movie. And it’s wonderful to see people really leaning into those roles. We all thought that movie was really uplifting and inspiring.“
NASA had worked closely with the production throughout filming, with the Artemis II crew, including commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, reportedly viewing the film specifically as part of their preparation for the mission.
The film itself is based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same name and follows a high school science teacher who wakes up alone on a rocket with only fragments of his memory and the task of saving Earth.
Gosling himself has been clear that while he is proud of the role, he has no personal plans to follow the crew into orbit.
Artemis II is currently more than halfway through its ten-day journey around the Moon and back, marking the first crewed mission to the lunar vicinity since 1972.
