Artemis II mission sparks new level of excitement for Massachusetts students interested in space

At Dexter Southfield in Brookline, Massachusetts, the alma mater of President John F. Kennedy, his legacy and vision for space exploration are once again taking center stage.

"Right now, we are pointed at Polaris," said 12th Grader Mark Minchello, as he opened the ceiling of the school's Clay Center Observatory.

The telescope angled to the sky is one of the largest in the state, throughout the year giving students a closer look at what's out there.

"The craters are very, very visible and it also is very bright, so we do have to warn guests who are attending," said 12th Grader Lexi Marcus about moon viewing.

For Marcus and Minchello, the Artemis II voyage around the moon is fueling a new level of excitement around one of their passions.

"It's honestly amazing. It's been so long since we've gone to the moon or even attempted," said Marcus.

"Because of this club, [students and teachers] would come up to me and strike amazing conversations all centralized around this," said Minchello.

"It's a conversation starter and it's just a way to bring the community together," Marcus added.

And it's not just in the observatory, in the main hall of the lower school, screens were set up Monday so students from kindergarten up could watch as humans traveled further from Earth than ever before.

"They're going around to the dark side," said Clarke, a kindergartner. He and his friend Thomas were among those taking it all in, watching the views inside the spaceship and of the moon in awe.

The mission represents what many see as the beginning of a new era in space exploration, one that could look very different by the time today's students graduate.

"We're finding out if we can stay on the moon for two weeks and we want to build a space station on the moon and stuff," Thomas explained.

For some, the experience was simple but unforgettable.

"We got to see the actual moon guys, that's the moon," cheered a fifth grader.