moon joy en · NOUN
Etymology
Compound of moon + joy.
Meanings
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(neologism, uncountable) The feeling of intense happiness and excitement that only comes from a mission to the Moon.
The awe emerged over the weekend as they approached the moon. Reid Wiseman of NASA, the mission’s commander, eagerly noted impact craters and a swirl on the lunar surface. “It’s just everything from the training, but in three dimensions and absolutely unbelievable,” he said. “This is incredible.” Jacki Mahaffey, a NASA officer in mission control, laughed in response. “Copy, moon joy,” she said. As the lunar surface grew closer, that moon joy intensified.
2026 April 7, Katrina Miller, “Houston, We Have No Problem. But We Do Have a Lot of ‘Moon Joy.’”, in NYT, archived from the original on 10 Apr 2026: