The space industry, including NASA, is joining the outpouring of grief at the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
Upon learning of the 96-year-old monarch's passing on Thursday, space agencies, astronauts, and other pioneers all around the world recognized and appreciated her legacy.
"Queen Elizabeth II's reign spanned all of spaceflight, predating both Sputnik and Explorer 1," NASA officials said via Twitter. "As we join the planet in marking her passing, we are moved by the curiosity Her Royal Highness showed our explorers over the years."
The queen was photographed with Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin following their historic 1969 mission to the moon.
The queen and Duke of Edinburgh first became involved in the space race in 1961, when they hosted a celebration for the first human to travel outside of Earth.
NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, the hub of the agency's crewed spaceflight endeavors, also tweeted a tribute with two photos today.
The first American astronauts visited the Royal Family some years later, but as Americans tend to do, the event was grander and bolder than anything the world had seen before.
The Apollo 11 moon mission's complete crew paid a visit to Buckingham Palace, where it became abundantly evident that there was a new space race leader.
In honor of the queen, the UK Space Agency updated its Twitter header image. Additionally, the European Space Agency expressed its condolences today.
Big personalities in the private space industry also left thoughtful words.
"I can think of no one who better personified duty. My deepest condolences to all the Brits mourning her passing today," Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos tweeted.
Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, which includes Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit, published a blog post today titled "The queen redefined leadership."
Aside from visiting astronauts from afar, the queen visited major NASA sites in the United States to express her gratitude to officials and interact with the crew aboard the International Space Station.
One of these times occurred in 2007 when the royal couple visited NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland and met with officials of the International Space Station.
According to Buckingham Palace, the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have long been advocates of science, technology, engineering, and endeavor, but their activities during their seven decades in the monarchy have put particular attention on space conquests.
Queen Elizabeth II's reign spans the whole history of human spaceflight, which began in the 1960s and continues to the present day.
