A diverse group of New York City politicians is pressuring Mayor Zohran Mamdani to host a ticker-tape parade for the Artemis II astronauts. This would mark the first time space travelers have been celebrated down the Canyon of Heroes since the historic 1969 moon landing.
However, NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin, Minority Leader David Carr, and other officials are concerned that the mayor might dampen the festive spirit. Their apprehension stems from Mamdani’s recent decision to bar the public from attending the Times Square ball drop on July 4, which will commemorate America’s 250th birthday.
The politicians argue that the courageous Artemis II crew, along with New Yorkers from all walks of life, deserve an opportunity to celebrate together.
“In today’s world, which often feels divided and hostile, there are few occasions that unite us and highlight the joy of humanity and the beauty of our shared planet,” expressed Menin (D-Manhattan), Carr (R-Staten Island), Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams (D-Queens), and Councilman Frank Morano (R-Staten Island) in a letter to Mayor Mamdani on Friday.
They added, “The historic Artemis II mission is one such occasion.”
The last time the city held a ticker-tape parade for astronauts was when Mayor John Lindsay and 4 million New Yorkers celebrated Apollo 11’s Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins on August 13, 1969, merely three weeks after Armstrong and Aldrin made history by walking on the moon.
The Artemis II mission marked humankind’s first visit to the moon since 1972, and set a new distance record for manned space travel. It captured never-before-seen images of the far side of the moon, making the four crew members more than worthy of a motorcade in the Financial District, the council members insisted in the letter obtained by The Post.
“The Artemis II astronauts boldly went where no other humans had gone before, traveling 252,760 miles from Earth during their nine-day voyage around the moon — the farthest any humans have ever traveled,” they wrote.
“But we believe their mission is not complete without a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes.
“It would be appropriate that astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen follow in the famous footsteps” of the Apollo 11 crew.
“New Yorkers, indeed, all Americans, should have an opportunity to collectively celebrate this monumental achievement of ingenuity, daring and leadership, and to always remember what we can accomplish together as a nation.
“We ask that you take the necessary preparations to make this happen.”
The Post has reached out to City Hall for comment.
The 1969 parade saw the three spacemen in a convertible ride through a blizzard of confetti from the Wall Street heliport through lower Manhattan to City Hall, where they were greeted by hundreds of thousands, bands, and two hook-and-ladder fire trucks carrying six US flags and a huge NASA banner, The Post reported then.
Lindsay greeted the trio and awarded them the City of New York’s Gold Medal, which had only been given once before.
“This is one of New York’s great moments,” Lindsay said.
Armstrong was taken aback by the 4 million onlookers, which up until that the time marked the largest parade in NYC history.
“More faces than I’ve seen in my entire life,” said Armstrong, a country boy who grew up in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
The crew’s ride around Manhattan, however, didn’t go as smoothly as their perfect moon landing.
Hundreds of thousands missed viewing the astronauts because of a scheduling foul-up that had them arriving in the city earlier than scheduled, The Post reported. Lindsay’s staff blamed the snafu on NASA.
