WA workers on NASA Artemis moon mission feel pressure, and pride

REDMOND — Standing outside a Redmond office park, astronaut Warren “Woody” Hoburg holds a basketball to signify planet Earth.

He holds a tennis ball in his other hand to represent the moon and passes both spheres to two others standing on the podium. Then he unravels a tape measure 24 feet, roughly the distance from the three-point line to the basketball hoop, separating his two assistants.

The demonstration sends the volunteer holding the tennis ball off the podium and into the grass, signifying just how far apart the two celestial bodies are.

Hoburg knows the demonstration is rudimentary. He is putting on the display for people who work in the aerospace industry and are already familiar with these numbers, he jokes.

But he hopes to make a point, providing a clear visual of just how b