See Photos and Videos from NASA Night with the Astros — Gateway Edition!

This third NASA Night with the Astros gave a baseball hat-tip to the agency’s future Moon plans with Gateway drawing focus, both on the diamond and off. (See galleries from the first NASA Night, as well as the second.)

NASA and its international partners building Gateway, humanity’s first space station in lunar orbit, were recognized during the Astros game on Aug. 1. Gateway Program Manager Dan Hartman and International Partner Manager Sean Fuller were joined by Liaison Officer Stephane Ghiste from ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Houston Office, Deputy Director Nobuhiro Takahashi from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Houston Office, and April Neidholdt from the Canadian Space Agency Liaison Office to receive an official Astros game ball during an on-field ceremony.

Check out some videos from the game, below.

Watch as Astros host Briana Santiago introduces Gateway Program Manager Dan Hartman. Video courtesy of the Houston Astros.

Watch the Houston Astros recognize leaders and key contributors to the Gateway. Video courtesy of the Houston Astros.

Watch as the Houston Astros return the favor and give an authentic, game-ready baseball to Hartman and NASA. Video courtesy of the Houston Astros. 

In the concourse, Space City fans enjoyed NASA exhibits like the inflatable mascot Cosmo; a spacesuit helmet, glove, and space food; flat astronaut photo ops; Gateway and Orion models; and Gateway-themed handouts and giveaways.

NASA Nights connect Houston’s space legacy with the Astros fanbase and are a great way to share information about upcoming missions and the agency’s long-term goals. During NASA Nights and for each Monday-night home game throughout the season, the Astros sport their City Connect “Space City” uniforms, created in partnership with Nike, to highlight Houston’s rich spaceflight history and honor the city’s culture of always reaching for the stars.

Look for the next and final NASA Night with the Astros on Monday, Oct. 3. Details will be forthcoming on how to get those tickets.

Craving a sports/NASA connection before then? Get tickets now for NASA Space Day at Rice University on Saturday, Sept. 10.

We asked ... and you delivered! See some employee-submitted snapshots from the game, below. 

Left: Image submitted by Ashley Howell. Middle and right: Images submitted by Crystal Haddock.

Far left: Image submitted by David Chiquelin. Middle left, middle right, and far right: Images submitted by Diana Hall.

Images submitted by Diana Hall.

Left: Image submitted by Nirali Patel. Right: Image submitted by Virginia Martin.

Far left and middle left: Images submitted by Eric Schultz. Middle right and far right: Images submitted by Nirali Patel.

Images submitted by Rosa Sosa.

And now ... even more photos from all the action on the field and at the Gateway exhibit booth!