TAMPA, Fla. — While they may not be on Florida’s space coast, Tampa Bay area students are getting fully immersed in the Artemis II mission ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled launch. 

MOSI in Tampa is holding a live watch party for the mission that marks NASA’s first crewed journey around the moon in more than 50 years. 

What You Need To Know

MOSI in Tampa is holding a live watch party for the mission that marks NASA’s first crewed journey around the moon in more than 50 years

Guests are invited to watch the launch broadcast in real time from the Saunders Planetarium

NASA has launch set for Wednesday, April 1 at 6:24 p.m. 
MOSI: Artemis II launch watch party

Guests are invited to watch the launch broadcast in real time from the Saunders Planetarium. During the launch, Dr. Mackenna Wood and a team of astrophysicists will offer live commentary of what’s happening. There’s also a number of interactive exhibits and a chance to ask questions to space experts. 

“Getting inspirited about space and all the things we can do in space in their lifetimes is what is really awesome about this mission,” Wood said. 

As part of the MOSI team, Wood says what she finds most exciting about this mission is what it means for the future of space exploration. She says the diverse crew that will be onboard is also inspiring. 

“We’re in fact going further into space than any human has ever been before. Including in all the Apollo missions,” she said. “We’re doing this with new technology that’s going to allow to stay there for longer.” 

Students in some Tampa Bay area schools, like at Stewart Middle Magnet School, spent the week learning about the Artemis II mission. 

Some students used a simulator to replicate being inside a space capsule while others worked as Mission Control. In math, students analyzed the transitions the capsule will experience throughout the mission and illustrated the track of Artemus II on posters on the coordinate plane. 

“We talked about what the next stages are and landing on the moon’s surface — that kind of thing — with the new technology we have,” explained teacher Hayley Moore. 

Students in Stewart Middle’s science and ELA classes also did activities like designing Artemis rockets and launchpads and examining how weather impacts a launch.