A NASA astronaut and commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 mission spoke to a crowd of residents and Central College students and faculty at Douwstra Auditorium Thursday evening.

Raja Chari is one of 18 astronauts, chosen from 18,000 applicants, to train for NASA’s Artemis moon-landing program. This lunar exploration program will land the first woman and the next man on the moon in 2024. His wife, Holly Schaffter Chari, is a Central College graduate. Chari discussed his time aboard the International Space Station and life as an astronaut.

Throughout the day, Chari met with city leaders and students and faculty at Central, and Holly also spoke as part of the presentation and also shared her experiences in her career on campus.

Raja also presented an Iowa flag flown on the ISS to the college (pictured above).

Hear more from Commander Chari on today’s Let’s Talk Pella.