CHICAGO — In a momentous event for space exploration enthusiasts, Chicago’s Adler Planetarium hosted an enthusiastic watch party on Wednesday to celebrate the launch of NASA’s historic Artemis II moon mission.
This mission marks a pivotal moment as astronauts embark on a journey around the moon, a feat not accomplished in over 50 years. The mission signifies a major leap forward in efforts to return humans to lunar exploration.
Residents of Chicago gathered at the planetarium to witness this giant step in space travel, eager to be part of the journey that aims to eventually land astronauts back on the moon’s surface.
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Artemis II is the second installment in a series of missions designed to push the boundaries of space travel. This launch is set to take astronauts further into space than ever before, setting new records in human exploration.
The Adler Planetarium commemorated the occasion with a lively viewing party, where attendees shared in the excitement of this groundbreaking mission.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Stuart Mattison, a visitor at the Adler Planetarium. “It’s been too long since we’ve been back there, so it’s great that we’re doing it again. Hopefully, we’ll continue to explore and push the boundaries.”
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“We were walking up and we saw the line all the way down the road,” Adler Planetarium visitor Maura York said. “We’re like, oh my gosh, this is really happening. So yeah, we’re super excited.”
The Adler Planetarium invited the public to experience the launch of the Artemis II mission live with real-time, expert narration led by astronomy expert Michelle Nichols, Adler Planetarium’s Senior Director of Public Programs.
“This is our next step toward exploration of the solar system,” Nichols said.
Nichols says this mission highlights the progress of science and the advancement of technology.
“They’re actually going to end up traveling almost 5000 miles past the moon, farther than we’ve ever been,” Nichols said. “So these will be the farthest humans have traveled away from Earth, and also getting a perspective of the moon we didn’t get before.”
Dr. Voula Saridakis, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry head curator and NASA Solar System Ambassador, joined ABC7 in studio just minutes prior to the Artemis II launch to answer questions about the mission.
In Oak Park, NASA Solar System Ambassador Mark Benson also geared up to host a watch party at the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center. Benson believes this is the kind of moment that can unite people in support of a singular goal.
“You’re gonna turn on the news and see something exciting and hopeful and an example of humans doing amazing things together, and there isn’t enough of that right now,” Benson said.
And though we’ve been to the moon before, Benson says this is an important step toward building a permanent presence there and potentially creating a place to launch future, further-reaching missions into space.
“Before the moon was kind of like a target, like, let’s get there. The goal was to get there,” Benson said. “Now the goal is to stay there and develop.”
As the four person crew launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for their 10-day journey, space enthusiasts in Chicago are wrapping their minds around the enormity of it all.
“It’s been a while, not in my lifetime, have they been there,” Adler Planetarium visitor Ben Delery said. “So it’s kind of awesome that they’re actually doing this.”
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