SPARTA, Mich. — For 10 days, the world watched the Artemis II mission, but one West Michigan community has a special connection to the historic spaceflight.
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Astronaut Christina Koch, who lived in Sparta when she was born, is on a mission that took her around the moon. Koch's aunt, Loretta Homrich, still lives in the Sparta area and traveled to Kennedy Space Center to witness the launch.
"You can't even find words to describe it, because it was just so incredible," Homrich said.
Homrich and her family made the trip to Florida in mid-January, initially hoping to see a February launch. When the mission was delayed, they decided to stay to ensure they could witness the historic moment.
"It was a big surprise for her to see us there," Homrich said. "We went down mid-January, hoping to see it in February, and when that didn't go, we just continued to stay on, because we wanted to make sure we seen the launch."
Koch lived near 11 Mile Road and Baumhoff in Sparta Township until her family moved to North Carolina when she was 5 years old. She would return to visit family in the area.
"She actually worked on the farm for me, under the Pines, when she was a teenager, for a couple of summers when they came to visit grandma and grandpa," Homrich said.
During the mission, Koch spoke about the crew's experience aboard the Orion spacecraft.
"We have loved living in Orion, and in fact, we've all said that sometimes you can forget where you really are because we're in this small space that just gives us everything we need," Koch said.
This marked Koch's second time in space. Homrich said she wasn't surprised her niece became an astronaut.
"Because you always follow your dream, and you have to have a passion, and that's her passion. She had a passion to go to space," Homrich said.
Homrich said she can't wait to hear from her niece about what it was like to be so close to the moon.
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