The BRIGHTEST Rocket Launch In History - SLS Launches Artemis 1

Loading up an upper stage with cube-sats so you can squeeze more science out of a single launch is absolutely Kerbal and I am here for it.

My father is on the team that built the leak detection system, and he personally replaced the turbo pump on the mass spectrometer the night before the launch. Tanking proved to be a challenge as well. LH2 was leaking at greater than 4% and the red team came in to save the day! I'm so proud of my dad and his team for their knowledge and passion. I cried watching liftoff from across the river. I know many don't understand the significance of this mission, but so many amazing advancements in space travel and exploration will come of this.

Bought the launch tickets for my 9 year old's birthday back in September but were disappointed when the previous launches were scrubbed. This time we decided to watch the tanking procedures to make sure there were no leaks before driving 3 hours across state, watched the launch, and drove 3 hours back. Can't believe it finally flew! My son has been obsessed with SLS since he was 4 so this was a special night for us. Looking forward to Starship now!

My wife and I watched the rocket launch from our front door about 60 miles from the pad. All the clouds between us and the launch were illuminated as if in a sunset, and that was even before the rocket lifted above our neighbor's house. The flame itself was radiant and so incredibly bright, I've never seen one like it.

When the SLS first took off, considering how fast it cleared the tower, I thought I’m my head “Holy $*it, this is actually flying!!!”

I was lucky enough to be at the Cape to watch the last Saturn V, Skylab, launch in 1973. Somehow, my oldest brother, in the Air Force at the time, was able to wrangle up VIP passes (as best as I remember). I still have a number of slides I shot of the launch, and also remember very well the sound, vibration, and the pressure. We were hoping to see the 1st Skylab crew launch the following day on a Saturn IB, but that was delayed until repairs to Skylab could be developed. Unfortunately, we went home before they launched. I missed all of the Shuttle launches, but would very much like to get back to Florida one day to see one of the SLS or SpaceX rockets go up.

I don't think anything will ever top the JWST launch in terms of "holy crap it's moving off the pad, this is happening, this is real!" but this was right up there. Incredible sight. For all the flaws of SLS and Orion they at least have something worthwhile to show for it.

I witnessed the launches of the last three Apollo moon shots from the vicinity of the cape, 15 from Cocoa Beach, 16 & 17 from Titusville. All were unforgettable experiences. But, especially Apollo XVII, the only Saturn V launched at night. SLS may have been brighter due to the SRBs (not a fan of SRBs), but the Saturn V also lit up the night sky like sunrise.

What an incredible launch. So happy I made the 18 hour drive to see it lift off in person.

Oh my gosh! The shot of the pressure waves refracting the moonlight creating those artifacts around the edge of the moon is just
I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E-!
Picture of the year goes to that gentleman. Bravo!

Almost exactly 50 years I've waited for this! No way would I have guessed back then, as a 19 year-old, that that I'd be 69 before a human-rated space craft again headed for the moon...

We were there for this liftoff it was different! Most of the sound went away from us and we saw the yellow steam from the boosters at first we thought the whole ship was on fire because we couldn’t see the top of the rocket in the dark but the news lady was announcing the speed and height so I knew it was doing fine. Really exciting to see live! Now We can’t wait for Starship, that’s going to be something I’m sure!

That Red Team seriously needs a big payrise. I almost thought it was gonna be postponed to the next launch window(though not necessarily a naysayer myself), and I believe many thought the same. The Red Team single-handedly(more like quardruple-handedly) saved the truly historical night. I was asleep(in London) when it actually launched, but upon seeing the footage I was like:"Wow, it happened just like that!"

The company I worked for supplied critical temperature sensors on this rocket. It has been a long road to this launch since the company was awarded the contract in 2013.

Watching this live took me back to my childhood, watching the launch of STS-1 with my little brother, the excitement of seeing something really big, scary, and new blast off for the first time. When the hydrogen sparklers and water deluge began my blood was pumping, what a rush.

I was lucky enough to be up when it launched. It was a very emotional experience for me. On one hand, we're going back to the Moon, baby! On the other, there's the fact that several dependable pieces of previously reusable tech were taking their last stab at the sky. Those primarily being the SRBs and the Space Shuttle main engines used on the core. In a way, it was kind of like the previous era was handing off the torch to the next and literally going out in a blaze of glory. So, yeah, many strong feelings were had while watching that candle being lit. And the sound... Even through the tiny speakers, you could hear how different and powerful this massive launch vehicle was. I wish I was there. Sadly, I'm now disabled (among other medical issues), so I'm afraid I won't be making any trips down to see any future launches of this amazing system. 😢 Again, many strong feelings watching this launch... We're goin' back to the Moon, baby!!! 😎🤘☮️🌈❤️🌙

I watched from banana creek and it was incredible. It legitimately turned day for over 15 seconds and the sound came blasting in seconds later. Has to be the most incredible thing I have ever seen. I couldn't even look at it due to how bright it was. For those people wondering whether they should go, the answer is a definite yes

Just came from rewatching it. So unbelievably incredible. Can't believe they did it. Go NASA, go SLS, go Orion, go Artemis! What an amazing rocket!

it was 100% worth staying up for the launch of SLS. seeing it launch was. genuinely amazing

Thank you, Scott for getting me into KSP way back in the early 2010’s!

Through that game - I have learned so much about rockets and playing with many realism mods, I’ve grown to understand why flight plans for rockets are the way they are. I also understand things like why solar panels have to be folded back in for burns and other such small details through a combination of KSP and also being a car mechanic (understanding stress on components and various other things). It’s so liberating to be able to follow along with something like Artemis and understand what’s going on every step of the way. I don’t think I could’ve had that without your KSP tutorial videos back in the day. Thank you again!