SEATTLE — More than a thousand people gathered at the Museum of Flight in Seattle for the launch of Artemis II, watching history that much of the Evergreen State has helped create.
Forty-one companies from Washington played a role in building the rocket and capsule that brought astronauts to the far side of the Moon.
Ivette Cortez and her son Martin were in the second row in the theatre at the Museum of Flight. Martin donned an orange astronaut outfit for the occasion.
“I wanted to have this experience for him,” Ivette said, “I wanted to encourage and nurture his desire to be an astronaut and learn more about aerospace. The Museum of Flight is a great opportunity.”
Ivette remembers watching the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion. The nation’s desire to continue exploring space, even in the midst of the tragedy, always stuck with her.
“I wanted him to experience that wonder,” Ivette said.
People of all generations watched the historic launch, applauding the milestones during the countdown and exploding in excitement when takeoff happened.
“I grew up with this, and it’s been a long time since we had [a launch]” Leslie Hood said, “I wanted to finally see our part in this.”
Cathie Wigert brought her son to the launch party. She was excited to see Christina Koch, the first woman to circle the moon. She hopes she and Victor Glover, the first Black astronaut to make a lunar lap, will inspire young ones watching the launch.
“We always talk about this idea of how to be creative, and one of those things is being bold and courageous, and it seems like an unmissable thing to get to do together,” Wiggert said.
“I think it’s very exciting to watch a woman go that far. It’s exciting for all the astronauts, but Victor and Christina are going to be inspiring for people who don’t see themselves in the field as much.”
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