When an astronaut reached space, her first thought was to thank her parents — and we felt that

Space travel, despite being a cherished dream for many, remains out of reach due to logistical and economic hurdles. However, Emily Calandrelli—who goes by @thespacegal on Instagram—set out to turn that dream into a reality. A graduate of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a degree in aerospace engineering, Emily is also an Emmy-nominated TV host, best known for her show “Emily’s Wonder Lab” on Netflix. She embarked on a journey to the stars and dedicated this adventurous achievement to her mom and dad.

A widely circulating video showed Emily sharing her space travel plans with her mother and father. The loving caregivers were excited to learn that their daughter would soon begin her odyssey beyond Earth’s atmosphere. They were thrilled to know that the girl they raised would soon achieve what they couldn’t, all because of her passion and determination. The bestselling author hopped on a private flight in November last year. She was part of a six-member team trained by Jeff Bezos-owned American space technology company, "Blue Origin." Emily’s mom and dad went out of their way to support her in achieving this milestone.

To see their daughter off, Emily's parents arrived at the space station from which the flight launched. The aerospace engineer was enrolled in Blue Origin’s New Shepard program, focused on researching safer, more accessible travel to Earth’s outer atmosphere. With this achievement, Emily joined the ranks of pioneering astronauts like Sally Ride and Sunita Williams, becoming the 100th woman in the world to witness the celestial bodies with her own eyes. “To the little boy who came from nothing,” and “And the girl who was bullied in childhood,” Emily wrote in a text overlay, dedicating the long and arduous journey to her parents. Furthermore, the nearly 30-second footage showed the aerospace engineer feeling nervous as the space flight New Shepard (NS28) took off from Launch Site One in West Texas, as per The Guardian. In the fast-moving sequence of events, the proud caregivers were also seen applauding their daughter from a distance for achieving this feat.

Emily’s nervousness was short-lived as the private mission successfully escaped Earth’s atmosphere and reached a remarkable height. “Mom and Dad, you are the reason I’m here. I love you so much,” Emily said as she panned the selfie camera to show the Blue Planet from space. The aerospace engineer cheered in the description, “We made it to the stars.” “We got to weightlessness, I immediately turned upside down and looked at the planet and then there was so much blackness. There was so much space. I didn’t expect to see so much space, and I kept saying that’s our planet! That’s our planet!” Blue Origin quoted the space explorer as saying after the flight safely landed back to Earth. Additionally, the wholesome footage managed to draw widespread traction on social media, garnering 2.8 million likes and countless reactions. “What a beautiful way to honor your parents—they must feel indescribable pride for you,” @hellochilu lauded. “When your parents said you're a star, and you took it literally,” @distractedbyflight remarked.

You can follow Emily Calandrelli (@thespacegal) on Instagram for space-related and uplifting content.