Christina Koch's dad sent a mini-cow to the moon with her. It's the best dad joke of the century
Strict NASA weight limits couldn't stop astronaut Christina Koch from making her dad's dream come true
In the months leading up to her historic spaceflight for the Artemis II mission, astronaut Christina Hammock Koch (@astro_christina) was closely managing her weight limits for personal items. So, when a mysterious package containing a cow figurine arrived from her dad and stepmother, she was puzzled. The mystery was revealed when her dad explained his plans to her. What happened next only came to light recently when Koch shared pictures of the gift online on June 21, 2026, wishing her dad a happy Father's Day, which garnered over 92,000 likes.
A heavenly punchline
Koch was initially baffled when she received a cow figurine as a gift, until her father revealed that the figurine was named Daisy, after a real cow that the family owns. He went on to explain that this was their "one chance to have a cow jump over the Moon," hoping to bring the "Hey Diddle Diddle" nursery rhyme to life. Since he couldn't use the real Daisy for this purpose, even though Koch claimed she had done her "flight training," they had to come up with an alternative. That’s precisely why she decided to include little Daisy, the figurine, and a picture of the actual Daisy on the mission.
The journey of the orbit
With everything in place, the whimsical payload traveled thousands of miles deep into space with Koch. There she carried her father's joke even further by taking pictures of Daisy from inside the spacecraft. What made it even more hilarious was that all her other crewmates were dads themselves, who loved this type of "Dad jokes." These were the same pictures she shared in her post recently, which perhaps were proof for her dad and stepmom that she indeed got the job done.
Completing the journey
Their journey came to a happy ending last month in May when Koch returned home in North Carolina after the Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Upon reaching home, the first order of business for her was to return Daisy to her dad, both the figurine and the picture. It was a full-circle moment for her entire family, who had successfully turned a rhyme into reality and also created what Koch called the "ultimate dad joke." This wholesome interaction was also a reminder of the impact dad jokes create.
Dad jokes are actually good for your brain
While most of us think that dad jokes, similar to this one, are just for getting out a good laugh, that's not actually the case. According to research done by psychologists Paul J. Silvia and Meriel I. Burnett, cited by the New York Post, the laughter from these jokes, which have a predictable structure, could cut cortisol levels by more than 36%. This drop in stress lights up the brain, helping it to process complex ideas. "Hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development," said Jacqueline Harding, PhD, an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London.
'Those were weighed in and part of the calculation for the launch...'
People couldn't help but giggle at this hilarious dad joke pulled off perfectly. @paulalaffery_writes commented, "I don’t think there are words in the English language to express how much I love this." Meanwhile, @22_nic_atkinson_22 wrote, "I love the fact that those were weighed in and part of the calculation for the launch with everyone's personal stuff haha."
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