The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the manned Crew Dragon spacecraft launches from launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Joe Raedle / Getty Images
NASA and SpaceX made history on Saturday, launching astronauts into space for the first time since the end of the space shuttle era in 2011. It is also the first time that a privately built spacecraft – the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule – has been deployed on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket – has played a cosmic taxi for astronauts: NASA Nauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are now on the way to the International Space Station. Docking is scheduled for Sunday.
Quite a few people seemed to be paying attention, as the reactions on Twitter showed.
Of course, NASA had something to say and released a TLDR. Clip of the launch, along with the iconic and heartbreaking phrase “We have take off.“”
Other people added some beautiful pictures of their own to this picture. Here is a picture from Dublin, with a cameo of the moon that seems to be wondering whether to think about sprucing things up a bit for a possible return of human visitors (this time maybe a woman):
Some NASA astronauts had something to say. Drew Morgan, who returned from the ISS in April (and appears to be a Star Wars fan), wished Behnken and Hurley “God speed“:
And Christopher Ferguson, who led the last space shuttle mission, passed the baton on in a stately manner to Hurley:
Some fictional space travelers also weighed in, namely Star Trek’s Captain Kirk and Mr. Sulu, also known as William Shatner and George Takei::
Congratulations @ SpaceX for a historical achievement! Humanity needs hope and you have delivered a much needed outbreak of it.
– George Takei (@GeorgeTakia) May 30, 2020
One or two science celebrities offered congratulations. Here are good wishes from Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye::
Our future in space looks even better today!
– Bill Nye (@BillNye) May 30, 2020
And the political class registered their approval, with US politicians tweeting responses on both sides of the aisle. Here are posts from Vice President Mike Pence, Rep. Adam Schiffand alleged democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden::
Historic and exciting! American ingenuity at work.
As Mission Control said:
“Know that we are with you, have a fantastic flight and enjoy the view of our beautiful planet.”
congratulations to @NASA and @ SpaceX to a successful start today! https://t.co/1L0Bi58hN6
– Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) May 30, 2020
Today, the United States has reshaped the future of space by lifting our ambitions and ideas to the sky. https://t.co/AskxceOJJU
– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 30, 2020
As for everyday Joes and Josephines, some couldn’t help but think about the problems that are currently worrying their home planet – the coronavirus pandemic including:
“When you meet ET, just touch his finger with a glove, “wrote a Twitter user:
However, others said the launch, like Takei, gave them a rocket-powered elevator and brought the much-needed relief from the problems here on Earth:
“The 10 year old child in me who once wanted to be an astronaut had his own moments of goose bumps and joy today and kept shouting” Go Go Go! ” wrote a member of the Twitterati::
Another, referring to a stuffed dinosaur mascot on board the Dragon crew, said, “I didn’t notice how much I needed the SpaceX dinosaur until he came into view. My heart feels a little less heavy this afternoon. ”
In fact, the Dino Slash Zero G indicator (like its Plushie Earth predecessor) seemed to catch more than a few hearts, with the following GIF defying gravity sent out several times: