COCOA BEACH: Jason Heath had ventured with his family from northeastern Maine to the Sunshine State for a vacation — but soon found out they were set to “witness history” with the launch of NASA’s Artemis 2 mission.
“It’s definitely cool to know that humans are going further than ever before,” the 40-year-old shipbuilder told AFP from the shores of Cocoa Beach, a popular Florida resort area near the NASA launch complex from which the enormous orange-and-white rocket will blast off.
“It’s definitely pretty cool to know that I’ll be around,” said Heath, his daughter and nephew clinging to his legs.
After several years of delays, the Artemis 2 mission is poised to carry three Americans and one Canadian on a journey that is expected to break the distance record set by the Apollo missions, venturing further into space than any crew has gone before.
The lunar mission — the first of its kind in more than 50 years — will see the first person of color, the first woman and the first non-American embark on a journey to the Moon.
