BURST1. Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch is a climber
Before Christina Koch became part of the astronaut team that has gone further in space than any other human crew, she was a climber.
Koch got her start in the sport thanks to North Carolina State University.
“It sounded really exciting. Maybe a way to get outside and have a little adventure,” Koch said in a NASA interview.
She said she initially was interested in the physical challenge of the sport, but began to find appreciation in gear, the physics of systems and the partnerships formed.
Koch described the different aspects of training to work on the International Space Station.
“All of that is very similar to the concepts of rock climbing,” she said.
She also recalled a time when she was being interviewed to get her current job.
Peggy Whitson, a renowned astronaut, asked her if she’d ever been scared when climbing.
“I felt like she was seeing right through my soul when she was asked that question,” said Koch.
“I feel like the answer to that question was absolutely. I have been scared. That’s when I really kind of found the fact that turning that fear you might be having into focus is so important…That was a pretty profound moment in my selection process.”
2. Ocun crash pads were tied to a recent rocket launch
On the launching tower of an Isar Aerospace rocket you’ll see something that looks oddly familiar to a climber.
Ocun Dominator crash pads were strapped to the structure during a recent mission.
Isar Aerospace specializes in rocket launches that propel satellites into space.
It’s unclear exactly why the pads were used.
And it seems like it wasn’t a marketing stunt. At least, not an intentional one.
Ocun has been asking on its Instagram for any tips on why Isar decided to strap the gear to its launch tower.
3. BD Quickdraws were clipped to SpaceX astronauts
Back in 2021, the SpaceX Crew-1 mission made headlines around the world.
Crew-1 was the first operational mission to the International Space Station under the Commercial Crew Program.
Under this program, commercial operators like SpaceX are the ones carrying humans up to space, as opposed to NASA.
Being the first of those, the Crew-1 mission was a landmark in commercial space exploration.
It was also the first time a set of BD quickdraws were photographed on astronauts.
They were crossed together in an ‘X’ on the astronauts’ chests.
This prompted a lot of speculation about why they were needed, but one Reddit poster linked to a now-expired Black Diamond Instagram story that said the astronauts needed lifting points to get them out of the capsule when it touched down in the Gulf of Mexico.
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