She helped launch Artemis II but didn't live to see it; Colorado woman's legacy lives on in moon mission
When the Orion spacecraft lifted off April 1, four astronauts were aboard -- but for the families of dozens of workers who died before the launch, the mission carried something else: the weight of those who would never see it fly.
One of them was Rebecca Kocher of Littleton.
Kocher, 58, died suddenly in December, less than four months before the Artemis II mission the Coloradan had spent nearly a decade helping to build. She had been receiving treatment for cancer.
"She put a lot of her life into this program," said her husband Fred Kocher, who also worked on the mission.
He described his wife of 34 years as a meticulous, thoughtful engineer who mentored younger women in the space program.
"She was so smart and so humble about everything she did. She never got upset, never got stressed out," he said.
Space exploration was in her blood. Kocher came from a family her husband called "space gypsies" -- her parents both worked on NASA's Apollo missions, and her brother, Rene Arriens, contributed to the space shuttle program.
"She was detailed, really true to the detail," Arriens told CBS Colorado. "Rebecca lived Artemis, and she was involved with it really deeply."
He described his sister as perpetually curious, always ready for a challenge.
Kocher began her career at Boeing before moving to Lockheed Martin, where she worked on Artemis. Outside work, she was devoted to the outdoors -- skiing, hiking, and kayaking.
Her name and photograph now hang on a plaque, alongside 36 other workers who contributed to Orion but did not live to see its launch earlier this month.
"They worked across every part of the program, in technical, leadership, and other roles," the inscription reads. "This mission would not have been possible without their support, and we honor their service and contributions to Orion and Artemis."
She had planned to travel to Florida for the launch.
When Artemis II splashed down on April 10, Fred Kocher watched with friends and colleagues. He thought about all the systems his wife had helped design -- each one firing precisely, down to the millisecond.
"How she would love to see the splashdown," he said. "She'd be excited for the next opportunity."
