NASA astronaut and engineer Christina Koch threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies’ game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Koch made history as a mission specialist on Artemis II in April, and she was also part of the all-female spacewalk on an International Space Station mission from 2019 to 2020.

In addition to throwing out the ceremonial first pitch, Koch joined Phillies play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy and color commentator John Kruk in the NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcast booth for the top of the third inning.

It was an informative, entertaining interview, with Koch offering insight about her experiences and the life of an astronaut.

And Kruk added to the entertainment by, well, being himself.

Kruk told Koch to “explain to the folks what rice pudding was like up in space.”

“[Kruk] ordered rice pudding at dinner, and I explained, ‘That is actually something that we have in space,'” Koch said. “But it is dehydrated. It comes in a little bag, kind of like a Ziploc, and you rehydrate it and eat it out of a Ziploc… It’s not bad… Best rehydrated overnight, maybe chill it in a little fridge. It’s pretty good.”

Kruk then asked, “Y’all have beer up there?”

“No, we do not,” Koch said while laughing. “Carbonated beverages do not do well without gravity. The bubbles do not go to the top, and that is not good.”

John Kruk to NASA astronaut Christina Koch:

“Explain to the folks what rice pudding was like up in space.”

…

“Y’all have beer up there?”

Koch: “No, we do not. Carbonated beverages do not do well without gravity…” pic.twitter.com/sH0p9wloSI

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 2, 2026

McCarthy asked Koch, “So, you’re going around the planet; what’s your favorite thing to look at as you go around each time?”

“The coolest thing to see from space, to me, was your home,” Koch explained. “I’m from coastal North Carolina, and the first time I saw the Outer Banks come into focus, and realize what I was looking at. And that map coming around here; I’m sure you have it too. You know what this area looks like. You know this coastline. And to see it on a planet, beneath you, it took my breath away. It was amazing. But also, the Aurora, the Northern Lights and Southern Lights from space. Amazing.”

Kruk stayed true to form with his response.

“So, to be honest with you, you could’ve just stayed in the Continental United States and saw everything you wanted to see,” Kruk said.

“That’s a good point,” Koch said, while showing off a great sense of humor. “Why did I go all the way up there? Really long trip. Maybe not the Aurora.”

NASA astronaut Christina Koch explains the “coolest thing to see from space.”

John Kruk: “To be honest with you, you could’ve just stayed in the Continental United States & saw everything you wanted to see.”

Koch: “Good point. Why did I go all the way there? Really long trip.” pic.twitter.com/KxF1gTBh76

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 2, 2026

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