An Oakville, Manitoba family’s spring break vacation turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience as they witnessed a historic space launch while relaxing on a Florida beach.
Rachael Doherty and her family, including her 12-year-old son, Reid, were visiting Cocoa Beach, Florida when they realized that their trip coincided with the launch of Artemis II, NASA’s mission set to send four astronauts around the moon. What began as a routine family getaway quickly became something far more memorable.
“We often come down to this area for vacation with our family each year,” said Doherty. “And it just so happened to work out that they were launching this Artemis II while we were here. So, we thought we would check it out.”
The family joined thousands of others along the shoreline, all eager to catch a glimpse of the rocket. Doherty described the atmosphere as unlike anything she had experienced before.
“It was the largest gathering I’ve ever seen on the beach,” she said. “There were tons of people, lots of excitement… everybody was kind of anticipating this launch, not quite knowing exactly where it was going to come up from.”
Although Cocoa Beach sits a distance away from the Kennedy Space Center, the view was still spectacular. The crowd scanned the sky, pointing and speculating as they waited for the rocket to appear.
The moment of liftoff brought a delayed but powerful sensory experience.
“The sound comes after what you can see,” Doherty explained. “So, we didn’t hear anything for quite a while… but once the sound did reach us, you could just hear this kind of like airplane sound, but much bigger.”
The Doherty family at Coco Beach in Florida (Photo/Rahael Doherty)
For her son Reid, the experience was especially meaningful. At just 12 years old, he found himself witnessing a major milestone in space exploration.
“It’s pretty cool, actually,” he said. “It was very big and there were lots of people there, so it was a pretty big launch.”
Reid had known about the launch ahead of time but didn’t expect to be as close as he was.
“I thought it was pretty cool. I didn’t expect to be so close,” he said. “I thought we’d be further away.”
He also recognized the broader significance of the mission.
“It’s really fascinating too, because they’re actually planning on making a moon base on the moon,” he said, adding, “not yet, but they will.”
Learning that a Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen is part of the Artemis II mission made the moment even more special.
“That’s pretty cool too,” Reid said. “I didn’t expect there to be a Canadian. I thought it’d be all people from the USA.”
Though the experience hasn’t necessarily inspired him to pursue a future in space travel, Reid said it’s something he’ll always remember, and one he’s eager to share with classmates back home.
“To me, it’s just kind of like a cool thing to know that I was there,” he said.
For his mom Rachael though, the significance of the moment goes beyond the spectacle.
“It was a really, really happy surprise that we got on our family vacation that we weren’t expecting,” she said.
Reflecting on the experience as a parent, she added, “It’s just a very incredible kind of moment and something I think we’ll talk about for years to come.”
To see a video of the launch click this link.
The Artemis 2 as it took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida (photo/Rachael Doherty)