Astronauts Visit National Park Service Headquarters

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz (fourth from left) welcomes SpaceX Crew-2 and National Park Service rangers in the North Penthouse of the Department of the Interior building.

NPS Photo

On June 9, 2022, members of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) SpaceX Crew-2 mission visited National Park Service Headquarters in Washington D.C. for a celebration of science, astronomy, art and exploration.

SpaceX Crew-2 returned to earth last November after a record-setting six months aboard the International Space Station. During their visit to Headquarters, the crew met with park leadership and employees to learn about the National Park Service’s efforts to protect and preserve our dark skies.

Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Shannon Estenoz and several park rangers greeted SpaceX Crew-2 members Megan McArthur, Shane Kimbrough, and Aki Hoshide at the Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building.

Dozens of Department of the Interior employees were on hand for the event including Grand Canyon National Park Ranger Rader Lane. Grand Canyon hosts one of the premier night sky festivals in the National Park Service. He moderated the meeting and spoke passionately about the importance of night skies in our national parks.

Grand Canyon National Park as seen from the International Space Station. SpaceX Crew-2 photographed several national parks from space during their six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

NASA photo

The astronauts shared a brief film of their six-month mission on the International Space Station, followed by a slideshow of images they captured of national parks as seen from space. They photographed iconic landscapes found in national parks, including Grand Canyon, Crater Lake, Yosemite Valley, and Yellowstone. They even spotted cultural icons like the Gateway Arch and the National Mall. Several landscapes portraits had abstract qualities, at times difficult to identify, yet nonetheless gorgeous shown from this new perspective—from the volcanic desolation of Craters of the Moon to the mountains of Glacier, their photo project reminds us that art, science, and exploration have always been on the forefront of our interpretation of our national parks, crucial elements for their continued protection.

National Park Service Deputy Director of Operations Shawn Benge (holding plaque) welcomes SpaceX Crew-2 to the Interior Museum, where the 1874 Thomas Moran painting Grand Chasm of the Colorado has recently returned for display.

NPS Photo

The astronauts also visited the Interior Museum, where the 1874 Thomas Moran masterpiece, Grand Chasm of the Colorado, has recently returned after over 20 years of being showcased elsewhere. Crew Pilot Megan McArthur and Ranger Lane discussed the importance of the painting, and the roles art has played in the popularization and establishment of our national parks. They also discussed the state of light pollution, the stars, and nature in general, all from the perspective of space. They wondered aloud what we might yet learn from our artists and explorers so that we can protect the cultural legacy of our astronauts, more natural landmarks on Earth, and even sites on other worlds in the future. McArthur’s thoughtful responses demonstrated why the National Park Service and NASA continue to collaborate on outreach efforts to share the values of pristine natural darkness, the wonders of exploration, and the importance of science literacy, with millions of park visitors every year.


Ranger Lane provided some closing remarks for the astronauts visit, "We thank NASA and SpaceX Crew-2 for their continued exploration of space and for their dedication to our public lands on Earth. Their visit comes at a pivotal moment in our history—for in no time in human history have we had so much collective knowledge about the stars, so much understanding of our shared universal need for the skies, so much mythology, history, and science written into the firmament—yet paradoxically, at no time in human history have we been so utterly veiled from the night. We are one of the first few generations who have the opportunity to couple the divine aesthetics of the celestial sphere together with the knowledge of its awesome extent, yet we are also the first to live in a world where 80% of people in the United States can no longer see the Milky Way from their homes due to light pollution. It has been fortuitous that national parks and other public lands have become the last remaining sanctuaries of pristine natural darkness. The National Park Service is honored to be entrusted with the protection of resources like our night skies, and inspired to continue onward in their preservation, especially when those scientists, explorers, and artists, brave enough to venture into space, return only to reaffirm the hallowed ground of our national parks, and to show us glimpses of what potentials lie before us over the new horizon."