What do a rover, an astronaut, and a rally towel have in common? They all came together for a NASA-filled weekend in Pittsburgh on Dec. 2 and 3.  

Dr. Jimmy Kenyon, director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and NASA astronaut Woody Hoburg, who piloted NASA’s recent SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station, met with students from Carnegie Mellon University. The students built the Iris lunar rover.  

Iris is one of several payloads scheduled to launch aboard Astrobotic’s Peregrine Mission One on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket later this month. The launch is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which will help NASA study Earth’s nearest neighbor, the Moon.  

While in town, Hoburg received a warm welcome back from his 186-day journey in space by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The football team invited Hoburg to participate in the Terrible Towel Twirl. As a Pittsburgh native and lifelong Steelers fan, Hoburg jumped at the opportunity to lead his hometown crowd in the cheer. He also joined NASA Glenn’s public engagement team as they shared updates about NASA’s Artemis missions and more at an exhibit outside the stadium.