Canadian astronaut approves gosling's 'hail mary' mid-moon journey
Halfway to the Moon and already offering high praise: Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, part of the Artemis II mission, has declared Ryan Gosling’s Project Hail Mary a “super cool” cinematic experience. The endorsement comes as the crew surpasses the halfway point of their groundbreaking journey, pushing the boundaries of human space travel further than ever before.
A shared ontario heritage fuels the connection
Hansen, the first non-U.S. citizen to venture towards the lunar surface, shares a hometown connection with Gosling, both hailing from London, Ontario. The crew, currently 76,000 miles from the Moon, reportedly enjoyed the film during quarantine—a welcome distraction before embarking on their own interstellar-adjacent adventure.
During a live interview on Saturday, Hansen responded to a hypothetical question about what he'd tell Gosling. “It’s super cool,” he remarked, “We were all really lucky. We got to watch Hail Mary when we were in quarantine. That was a real treat that they sent us a link to view that at home with our families, getting us ready to go on our own space adventure.” He continued, “I would just say to Ryan, art imitates science and vice versa, it seems. He did a great job in that movie. It’s wonderful to see people really leaning into those roles. I thought it was just such an inspirational example, and somebody who goes out there and just gets what was done to save humanity.”
The Artemis II crew’s appreciation adds to the already considerable acclaim for Project Hail Mary, which has been setting box office records since its release last month. IGN’s review, landing with an impressive 8/10, celebrated the film as a “rollicking sci-fi blockbuster celebrating how much we can accomplish when we work together… and how much meet-cute mileage you can get out of watching Ryan Gosling befriend a rock alien for two and a half hours.”
The mission itself? The spacecraft, which launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, is slated to orbit the far side of the Moon on Monday, April 6, before returning to Earth for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on April 10. This marks the first time humans have traveled beyond Earth’s orbit since 1972, a significant milestone in space exploration.
But the ripples of Project Hail Mary extend beyond critical acclaim and box office success. The film’s enduring appeal—currently approaching $400 million globally—suggests a deeper resonance with audiences eager for stories of collaboration, ingenuity, and the enduring spirit of exploration. Whether Gosling and the Artemis II astronauts will return to Earth with tales as compelling as those depicted on screen remains to be seen.