WEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – A watch party was held at Florida International University’s main campus on Friday to witness the historic homecoming from space by the astronauts on the Artemis II.
Students gathered in a classroom to watch the return to Earth unfold in real time on Friday night.
“It’s really crazy to watch something like this, especially since it’s my first time watching something like this happening in life,” student Hannah said.
“It’s an amazing day for me and everyone who loves physics and astronomy,” said another student.
All eyes were on the re-entry, which experts said was the most dangerous part of the trip. The capsule heats up to nearly 5,000 degrees as it hurls back to Earth at over 24,000 miles per hour.
“Thankfully, they landed here safely, and it was a great thing to see,” said a third student.
“I’m an engineering major, so every engineer was very important,” said student Laura Guevara.
The four-person crew traveled farther around the Moon than anyone before them as part of a 10-day mission that ended with them splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, marking the first crewed lunar mission in more than half a century.
“I was thinking, ‘Please come out parachutes. Please come out with parachutes.’ I had confidence in NASA, but you always want to see that happen,” said Dr. James Webb, Physics Professor at FIU and Director of the Stocker AstroScience Center.
The successful mission and return signals future Moon missions.
“We’re back on the right track,” said Webb.
With 13 FIU alums confirmed to have worked on the Artemis II mission, students at the West Miami-Dade campus said it makes their dreams feel within reach.
“I’m a physics major, so for me it’s really encouraging to know there’s an interest to expand more on our field,” said another student.
It’s motivating to see how things are really possible just as long as you keep on going. NASA said its next goal is to land a crew on the Moon by 2028.
As for those at FIU, many hope additional alums will be part of that mission as well.
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