NASA astronaut Anne McClain launched to the International Space Station on December 3, 2018.

Before rocketing into orbit, McClain brought her son along to a NASA portrait session. He hammed it up for the camera, leading to some adorable photos.

The astronaut tweeted the pictures in March 2018 in support of moms who struggle to find a work-life balance.

McClain is now poised to perform the first all-female spacewalk with fellow astronaut Christina Hammock Koch on March 29.

Editor's note (August 29, 2019): This story has been updated to remove images of a minor and add new information. It was originally published on March 13, 2018.

Before NASA's talented astronauts launch into space, they pose for an official photo shoot.

Most future space flyers play it safe: They crawl inside a custom-fit spacesuit, smile for the camera, then get back to their rigorous training. A few, however, bring family, friends, and even pets along for the fun.

During a portrait session by NASA in August 2017, Anne C. McClain — a member of the 21st astronaut class, a decorated US army major, an attack helicopter pilot, an aerospace engineer, and a mother — brought her preschool-age son, she said in March 2018.

"The hardest part about training for space is the 4 yr old I have to leave behind every time I walk out the door," McClain tweeted at the time.

McClain launched to and arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on December 3, 2018. She was poised to lead the first all-female spacewalk on March 29 with fellow astronaut Christina Hammock Koch, who rocketed into space on March 14. However, the historic spacewalk did not happen due to spacesuit sizing issues. McClain is due to return to Earth this June.

At the time of her tweet in March 2018, McClain was responding to Abby Wambach, a professional soccer player and fellow mom who was seeking support in maintaining a work-life balance.

"I try to remember he will grow up and know what it looks like, behind the scenes, to pursue a dream. He is my 'why,'" McClain told Wambach.

In her Twitter thread last year, McClain posted photos of herself in a spacesuit next to the boy. The pictures were taken by photographer Bill Stafford, according to a representative at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Here are the heartwarming images McClain shared, and what she said the kid thought of knowing an astronaut.