The Artemis II mission, launched on April 1 from the Kennedy Space Center, is already making history. Among other things, the 10-day mission has set the record for the farthest distance traveled by humans in spaceflight. This surpassed the distance set by Apollo 13 back in 1970. Facts and figures aside, the Artemis II mission is doing something else entirely: affecting everyday Americans.
It’s not as if spaceflight is new to us. The United States is the leader in outer space. NASA has been a force for decades. But there’s something about this mission that touches a nerve, and in a positive way. I’m not sure if it’s the historic nature of the entire thing, the exuberance of the crew and support team, or the way modern technology is letting us come along for the journey. We are fascinated and moved by it in ways I haven’t seen before.
