Astronaut Christina Koch didn’t like what her own statue might be telling young girls

The Artemis II crew sat down with Oprah (@Oprah) on May 13, 2026, to talk about the 'Wisdom of Leaving Earth.' During the segment, Christina Koch talked about a statue erected in her honor at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Someone had donated the statue to her old high school, and while she was appreciative, she admitted that it also made her "uneasy." She clarified that it was not because of her humility, but the message it could send to the younger generation. The YouTube video has been seen by 538,000 viewers and liked by 3,800 people so far.

More than a statue

Koch explained the reason why the statue did not sit well with her. She told Oprah, "It wasn’t just my humility or anything like that... I was worried that the people who walked through the door and saw it would think they weren’t enough because the statue was too perfect of a representation." The statue embodied her success as a woman and as a female astronaut, but that was just one part of her identity.

The 'real' her

When she gave the speech at the statue's unveiling, she made sure to tell the students the kind of girl she was in high school. She opened up about how unsure she was as a teenager, the mistakes she made, the people she hurt, and those who hurt her. She was not perfect by any means and wanted the youngsters to see her in that light. Her message was, "I just wanted them to know that they don't have to be as perfect as the statue."

It takes a village

Speaking on the idea of being perfect, she said, "Sometimes right now, I feel like this crew is a little bit like that statue." People see and hear them talk about their achievements, but that is again, not the whole story. They have a long history of failures and a "couple [of] victories," as well as people who helped them get to where they are. It is the culmination of all these things that allowed them to humanly carry "everyone's dreams around the far side of the moon." Before closing the topic, she shared a wonderful reminder for everyone: "Before we did that, we were enough. And I would say to them, you are too."

Only 6% of US statues are women

Even though the statue made Koch uneasy, several people, especially women, were proud to show off what they had achieved so far. Art professor Sierra Rooney pointed out that the majority of the statues in the U.S. were of men. Only 6% of the statues are based on real women. However, there are statues built of allegorical figures, and not actual women. One of the most famous women's statues in the U.S. is Joan of Arc, followed by Harriet Tubman. Other historical women honored with their own statues are Sacagawea, Rosa Parks, and Sojourner Truth. Now, Koch's statue is a part of that small list, representing a woman celebrated in the world of science and space exploration.

Oprah also shared a few videos featuring the Artemis II crew on her official Instagram page, and people loved them. @rlswrites commented, "Oh my god, I am living for every public appearance by these astronauts!! Thank you!" @shawnapandya added, "By far the most stellar interviewees you've had!"

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