People from across the country traveled to the Kennedy Space Center area ahead of the planned Artemis II launch, including young people and kids. CBS News’ Rob Marciano spoke with an Atlanta dad and his son at Space View Park in Titusville, Florida.
Matt and his son Jack arrived early — Matt said they got there around 7:30 a.m. — to secure a spot with a view of the pad. By the time Marciano spoke with them, the viewing areas had largely filled in with families and space fans.
Jack, decked out in a child’s spacesuit, said the thing he was most excited about was simply seeing the rocket lift off. “My most excited thing is I will see the rocket launch into space because I’m so obsessed with space,” he told Marciano. Under his suit was a T‑shirt showing the solar system; Jack pointed out Orion and Artemis II as the focus of the day’s excitement.
Marciano praised Jack’s enthusiasm and asked whether Mars might be in his future. Jack laughed and said he’s “so obsessed with space,” but that Mars felt too far for now — “I would have to take a 100‑pound rocket to get there,” he said, jokingly dismissing a Mars mission as too big a lift for the moment.
As the countdown approached, Marciano noted the energy in the crowd. He called Jack a “future commander,” wished him rest between launches and reflected that there were “future astronauts all over this place,” with people from around the country gathered and “fired up” for the moment. The launch wait had been long, he added, but anticipation and joy were rising as the scheduled liftoff time neared.