College Softball Game Pauses For NASA’s Historic Launch
on Apr 02, 2026
NASA Launches Artemis II For Historic Trip Around The Moon
Four astronauts made history on Wednesday (April 1), as they prepared to journey around the moon.
Launching from Kennedy Space Center on the powerful Space Launch System, the crew will embark on a roughly 9.5-day journey that circles the Moon before returning to Earth. They will travel aboard the Orion spacecraft, designed for missions beyond low Earth orbit.
Leading the mission is Reid Wiseman, joined by Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen. This mission marks the first journey around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The crew includes the first woman and first Black astronaut to travel to deep lunar space, as well as the first Canadian astronaut assigned to a Moon mission.
Artemis II launched Wednesday at 6:35:12 p.m. Eastern Time. As the launch window opened, NASA flight controllers briefly paused the countdown to address minor technical issues, resuming it a few minutes later before liftoff.
NASA reported that the crew has been quarantined in the Astronaut Crew Quarters at Kennedy Space Center. Each astronaut has maintained a controlled sleep schedule and nutrition plan to prepare for the historic launch. They also underwent a series of medical tests to confirm they healthy for the mission.
College Softball Game Pauses To Watch The Historic Event
While many spectators went to check out the launch in person, two very lucky collegiate teams had a front row view of the rocket from their own playing field. The University of Florida women’s softball team was playing Stetson when they noticed the historic event.
Competing at Patricia Wilson Field in DeLand, about an hour from Kennedy Space Center, the game was paused so players and the sold-out crowd could watch the launch of the spacecraft.
A player from Florida could be seen pointing to the rocket in the sky.
𝗣𝗢𝗩: 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗜 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 🚀
— Stetson Hatters (@StetsonHatters) April 1, 2026
📺: https://t.co/tskXiMwJkW#GoHatters | @espn | @stetsonsoftball | @stetsonu pic.twitter.com/ODwVtVTYCD
You can watch the full clip of the team’s catching the launch below.
