North Carolina State University on Tuesday announced it will hold a special homecoming celebration for NASA astronaut Christina Koch.
"We're perhaps most excited to celebrate the moments when Koch and her crew brought all of us together — as humans, as Americans, as North Carolinians and as a Wolfpack — as we followed along with their journey," the university said in an event announcement.
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"Like she said during their space flight, 'Ultimately, we will always choose Earth. We will always choose each other.' That’s a sentiment that we know our Wolfpack can get behind."
The celebration, which the university is calling "Around the Moon and Pack," will take place on August 24 and August 25.
Koch, an NC State alumna, was part of the Artemis II mission in April, which saw her and three other astronauts leave Earth to travel around the moon. It was the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, which was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program.
Koch herself made history on the trip, becoming the first woman to leave low Earth orbit and the first woman to travel to and around the moon.
"When NASA called and asked if we'd be willing to serve as the site anchor for her upcoming visit to North Carolina, we obviously said, 'Howl, yes,'" NC State said.
Among the events that will take place over the two days are a welcome home celebration, a discussion with Koch and NC State Chancellor Kevin Howell on how public universities can help students live their dreams, and an application of astronaut strategies for college students.
The "Welcome Home Celebration" is the only event that will be open to the public, but the university said livestreams will be available for the other events. More details can be found here.