by A former astronaut is helping with a newly launched philanthropic and photography fundraiser.
Chris Cassidy, who spent 378 days off Earth, is among the first class of famous hands participating in My Hand My Cause (opens in new tab)a non-profit initiative that aims to combine the power of celebrities with fine art photography to support charities and foundations around the world.
Cassidy — or more specifically, her right hand — posed for Dennis Murphy, an award-winning photographer and co-founder of My Hand My Cause, while wearing a spacesuit sleeve. The resulting image was then reproduced as a 12-by-16-inch (30-by-40-centimeter) handprint of Cassidy’s life-size hand.
The final product also includes Cassidy’s printed signature and the date the image was taken (in Cassidy’s case, June 21, 2022). The astronaut “hand” is now on sale for $105 per print.
Related: Interview with retired NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy
“The hand tells the story of the achievements of athletes, musicians, doctors, scientists and so many other inspiring people. We want to highlight that while doing a lot of good for the foundations and charities that matter most to each of them.” Murphy, who created My Hand My Cause with marketing executive Everett Wilder, said in a statement (opens in new tab).
“It’s inspiring to think that if just 50,000 copies are sold by a celebrity, we raise millions and millions of dollars for their charity,” he said.
For every print sold, $75 is donated to the celebrity’s charity. Additional funds cover photography, printing, and basic shipping expenses.
Cassidy’s prints are being sold to benefit the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, an organization Cassidy has led since leaving NASA. The foundation is working to establish a museum in Arlington, Texas, and a monument in Washington, DC to preserve and expand the impact of the 3,515 Medal of Honor recipients and the more than 40 million Americans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces since the Civil war.
“I have dedicated my life to the service of others and country and am honored for the opportunity to continue to serve by helping to lead this historic project. It is a privilege to do my part to honor the service and sacrifice represented by the Medal, its recipients and all those who served,” Cassidy said when he became president and CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.
“Today, more than ever, we need to be reminded that the things that unite us are far more powerful than those that seek to divide us. This project is truly bringing America together,” said Cassidy, who in addition to being a former astronaut is also a former US Navy SEAL.
The sale of Cassidy’s handprints (opens in new tab) started on Friday (February 17th). Other members of the inaugural My Hand My Cause class include international basketball legend Dirk Nowitzki, professional football star Dak Prescott and professional climber Alex Honnold.
Cassidy was launched on three missions to the International Space Station. In 2009, he became the 500th person to fly into space. (opens in new tab) while helping to deliver the final two components of the experiment module from Japan and later living and working aboard the station (opens in new tab) during two long-term stays in 2013 and 2020.
Cassidy’s final mission was the focus of the 2021 Disney+ six-part documentary “Among the Stars.”
Throughout his career as an astronaut at NASA, Cassidy has performed 10 spacewalks, an activity that, despite the name, is largely done by hand.
In addition to selling prints, My Hand My Cause also plans to showcase and celebrate the hand photographs at gallery events to raise additional funds for each charity. The organization is also working with its supporters on a publicity campaign to bolster the new effort.
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