SoCal space fans gather in Downey to witness the return of Artemis II crew

On Friday, millions of people celebrated the Artemis II crew's return to Earth after a ten-day mission around the Moon. In Downey, people from all over Southern California gathered at the Columbia Memorial Space Center to witness the historic landing at a watch party.

The excitement was palpable throughout the rooms and floors of the packed museum. There were several children with NASA jackets or dressed as astronauts carrying rocket ships and other toys that alluded to STEM and the astronauts. 

The Artemis II crew had completed a record-setting lunar flyby, taking them 252,756 miles at their farthest distance from Earth and 4,067 miles above the lunar surface at their closest approach, according to NASA. 

At exactly 5:07 p.m., the Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego and the crowd at Columbia Memorial exploded in cheers, clapping and tears of joy. 

Five-year-old Ezra Garcia was wearing a full astronaut suit and while he didn’t understand the complexity of the mission, he understood the splashdown. He clapped with excitement.

Arturo García, Ezra’s father, said he was very happy to experience such a historical moment. 

“He likes these events a lot and I enjoy sharing them with him,” Arturo said. 

A few feet away was Stephanie Reed with Nia Reed, her two-year-old daughter.. She said she wanted to share the history being made and the fact that there was a female astronaut in the crew.

Stephanie said she enjoys the museum and gets emotional because it has so much history.

“I’ve always been a space nerd and it’s really powerful to be in the room with other people who recognize the importance of this moment and the history that is being made and especially in Downey, where the Apollo mission started,” she said.  

Downey has a rich history of aviation and aerospace that spans more than 70 years, according to the Columbia Memorial Space Center website.  

In 1960, North American Aviation’s  Space & Information Systems Division (S-ID), located inDowney, won contracts for the Saturn S-II launch vehicle system and the Project Apollo Spacecraft Development Program. Downey then became known as the industrial center for the lunar mission that President John F. Kennedy called for in his 1961 speech.

Bringing back good memories

Jorge Banuelos was also in the crowd with his sons Christian, 9, and Emanuel, 7. He said it was very emotional to see the Artemis II because it reminded him as a child when he was able to experience a takeoff of one of the space shuttles 50 years ago.

“I want my children to experience the same. It’ll be a memorable moment for us,” Jorge said. “I had my boy [on my shoulders] and he was not understanding but he was having fun.”

Christian Banuelos, 9, said it was “intense” to see the crew coming out of the Orion.  

“It was a crazy landing, and a crazy takeoff,” Christian said. “I can’t wait to learn more.”

Chino resident Loui Guevara made the drive to Downey, stating that he couldn't let this moment pass, as he clearly remembers he was about seven years old when the Apollo 11 astronauts made a tour after the historic lunar landing. One of the stops was his elementary school.

“We went to the auditorium… and they put the suit on me and I was a little guy and when they put the helmet on me everybody was laughing because it was so big,” he recalled.

Guevara said years later he researched who they were and while he never got pictures of that moment, it is engraved in his memory. He said seeing the Artemis II is a historic moment that he knows he couldn’t let pass by.

“I wanted to go to San Diego, but it is better to come to a watch party because you can see it on the screen with a lot of people,” he said. 

Ben Dickow, president and executive director of the museum, said this was an excellent moment for the space center to share with families and children. 

"This is the biggest story that we've covered in a long time. Also, this is where all of the space capsules that went to the moon the first time were designed and built right where you're standing, and all the space shuttles,” he said. “So to be able to bring people together for the return to the moon is really special to us, because Downey is where it all started."

Dickow said on any given day the museum is a gathering place for people who love science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Astronauts are back home

According to NASA, the Artemis II crew – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen – returned to the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston following their historic lunar flyby mission.

The first crewed test flight of NASA’s Artemis program lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. (ET) on April 1, carrying the first astronauts to travel to the Moon in more than half a century.