Astronaut Dad Steps Down From Launch To Attend His Daughter’s Wedding

When dads hold their daughters for the first time, they inevitably think of all the things they’ll one day do together. Teaching her to ride a bike, dropping her off at her first day of school, and one day, walking her down the aisle. It’s a dad’s worst nightmare, missing out on big moments in their kids’ lives.
Even if it’s completely inevitable, missing a single one of our kids’ milestones is heartbreaking. Once those life-changing moments have passed, we can’t get them back. Chris Ferguson realized that being the commander of Boeing’s first crewed flight meant that he’d miss out on one of the most important days of his daughter’s life, and he knew he couldn’t let that happen.
On the day of his daughter’s wedding next year, Ferguson was supposed to be on the International Space Station. This would have been the astronaut’s fourth trip to space, the first three taking place between 2006 and 2011 during his time with NASA. Ferguson had been training diligently for the Boeing Starliner mission, which has been grounded until at least the end of this year due to software issues during its first test flight.
Being a member of the Starliner crew was enormously important to the seasoned astronaut, but in a video Ferguson posted on Twitter last week, he explained that there was something in his personal life that took priority.
“I’m taking on a new mission, one that keeps my feet planted here firmly on Earth and prioritizes my most important crew – my family,” Ferguson captioned the video. “I’ll still be working hard with the #Starliner team and the @NASA_Astronauts on our crew.”
I’m taking on a new mission, one that keeps my feet planted here firmly on Earth and prioritizes my most important crew – my family. I’ll still be working hard with the #Starliner team and the @NASA_Astronauts on our crew. pic.twitter.com/PgdhPqwYQS
— Christopher Ferguson (@Astro_Ferg) October 7, 2020
The video begins with Ferguson explaining his difficult decision to step down from his role as commander of next year’s crewed flight test. He explains his passion for human spaceflight and dedication to the Starliner program, “but next year is very important for my family,” says Ferguson.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m just not going into space next year,” Ferguson states before expressing his appreciation to Boeing and his crew for their understanding.
The clear solution here would have been getting married in space, but people get pretty uptight about destination weddings. This dedicated dad is forgoing a trip to space to attend his daughter’s wedding, but it’s a sacrifice he’s more than willing to make for his family. Some dads are good, some dads are great, but Chris Ferguson is out of this world.