Fantasy Meets Reality — Artemis II Mission Gives "Amaze" Nod to 'Project Hail Mary'

Nothing has gripped the world with as much hope as watching the four astronauts of the Artemis II Lunar mission make their historic fly-by of our closest cosmic neighbor.

Their experiences, their stories, and the way they have brought us with them as humanity returned to Luna quickly became a rallying cry for hope and relief in a world that seems increasingly dark.

But of course, while astronauts seem almost superhuman, they are, in fact, human. And they were able to watch a sci-fi movie called Project Hail Mary before they left for the stars. The movie, which the astronauts have gushed about, even made a historic appearance in a conversation between Mission Control and the astronauts when someone quoted the "amaze amaze amaze" scene.

Here's what we know about the context for that cheeky reference.

Many space nerds tend to love a well-executed science fiction movie. And, of course, astronauts could be considered the ultimate space nerds.

When Artemis II made its historic flyby of the Moon in April 2026, they took the hopes of humanity with them.

And maybe a little meme culture.

Meme culture has become pervasive, especially if you belong to generations Alpha or Z, and a good portion of the Millennial generation, as well.

So, perhaps it's not so surprising that the "amaze amaze amaze" meme, which sprang to life from a quote in the sci-fi film Project Hail Mary, got a nod during the Artemis II mission, staffed by young scientists. In meme form, the quote is often used to denote surprise or delight.

When mission commander Reid Wiseman was discussing the view of the Earth and Moon, and their proportional sizes to one another, noting that it was a spectacular view, a mission specialist on Earth chirped back, "Amaze amaze amaze, thank you Reid."

However, the Artemis II crew's connection to Project Hail Mary goes beyond a single reference. The four astronauts themselves, who include Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, have seen the film.

During a televised interview on April 4, 2026, the crew was informed that actor Ryan Gosling, who stars in Project Hail Mary, had sent well wishes to the crew. Jeremy responded, "That’s super cool. 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" (excerpts via The Guardian).

When asked what he would tell Ryan if they had a chance to talk, Jeremy replied, "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. It’s a pretty extraordinary example that we can all follow. We all thought that movie was really uplifting and inspiring.”

So now, Ryan Gosling can say that he impressed four astronauts. Which is a pretty incredible accomplishment indeed. One might even say, "Amaze amaze amaze."