April 1, 2026, at 6:35 p.m. EST, marked the beginning of the next space craze.
“Four brave explorers, ready to ride the most powerful rocket NASA has ever launched,” said Derrol Nail, the NASA commentator for the Artemis II launch. “And here we go. Ten, nine, eight, seven. RS-25 engines lit. Four, three, two, one, booster ignition, and liftoff.”
With these famous words — the ones heard at every space launch dating back to the Apollo missions — the Artemis II crew lifted off, becoming the first humans to travel back to the moon in over five decades, bringing a lifetime of new opportunities and renewing interest in space for many generations to come.
“When we watched the launch, a lot of students were asking questions and putting things into Google afterward. It was definitely an important event for a lot of people to see,” said Ian Hagmann, a physics teacher at Carlmont High School. “It’s a meaningful moment in their lives that they’ll probably remember for a long time.”
While some will remember this event as the time they got to watch a live spaceship launch in school for the first time, others, like Brandon Shen, a junior at Carlmont High School, will remember it as the time they discovered their desire to pursue a career in space.
“The Artemis mission definitely has inspired tons of kids in the younger generation to pursue fields such as astronomy, astrophysics, and engineering,” Shen said. “For a lot of my friends, it’s reinforced their desire to pursue a space-adjacent job in the future.”
This sort of inspiration, however, is not unique, as during the Apollo missions, similar sentiments were felt throughout the nation. These missions were the first of their kind, proving not only that spaceflight and exploration were possible but also paving the way for the Artemis program.
“Artemis is just another stepping stone. I mean, everything that we did with Apollo is still being felt today. It’s the reason we can do what we did today,” said Lauren Low, a public affairs specialist for NASA. “I hope that Artemis, like Apollo, paves the way for programs and missions in the future.”
Among these future missions is Artemis IV, which aims to have the first woman set foot on the moon during its lunar landing. Not only would this be monumental in terms of scientific discoveries — an underlying purpose of the missions — but it would also prove to a whole new demographic of future scientists, astronauts, and engineers that they, too, have a place in space.
“Landing the first woman on the moon will be inspirational for the most part, similar to Sally Ride, who was the first American woman in space. That was a very transformational moment for a lot of people, seeing that, yes, women can be astronauts too. I think it’s the same thing here. There’s no reason to question, if you’re a woman, whether or not there’s a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) or as an astronaut for you,” Hagmann said.
While the lunar landing has yet to come, the effects of seeing a successful female astronaut in space — astronaut Christina Koch — are already being felt, especially within the Carlmont Astrophysics club.
“The club has a lot of women now, which is really good to see because right now, space and STEM, in general, are such male-dominated fields,” Shen said. “I think that the club is good evidence of how further representation has inspired the younger generations.”
Although the club is proof that seeing women, like Koch, in male-dominated fields increases female representation at the grassroots level, the changes are still far from widespread. According to Hagmann, in his physics classes, the same results cannot be reproduced.
“The increase in female representation is probably marginal, unfortunately. I have seen a little bit of an increase over time, but it’s not very statistically meaningful,” Hagmann said.
Greater diversity and representation in space and STEM in general are important, according to Hagmann, as they provide projects with unique insights and solutions. In line with this, along with having astronauts from different backgrounds, including Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, and over 60 nations having signed the Artemis Accords, the missions have also found fresh insights from private companies.
“Private companies have a big role. We work with thousands of industry partners across all 50 states. With Artemis III in 2027, we will be doing a docking demonstration and Earth orbit with one or both of our commercial lunar landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin,” Low said.
With Artemis missions scheduled until late 2028 and subsequent missions following Artemis V, their potential impact on future generations is currently immeasurable; however, the inspiration from previous missions will only keep growing.
“The whole world watched when we launched and when we flew around the moon and then splashed down. The momentum kept building,” Low said. “We’re setting records and seeing parts of the moon no one has ever seen. I think everyone is tuned in. This is our solar system, and we’re exploring it, and we haven’t done that in over 50 years. I hope that people are inspired.”
Inspiration is ultimately what will keep the momentum around space exploration going. With countless missions scheduled for the years to come, according to Low, there will be more to discover. The Artemis missions mark the beginning of space exploration, opening the world to the possibilities of the moon and to opportunities for everyone — male and female alike — in the STEM community.
“I hope that people are excited, and this builds momentum around space exploration, the moon, Mars, and all the other places that we’re going to go. I hope that people don’t see this as one-and-done and realize that we have a lot to discover,” Low said. “I don’t want anyone to think this is the conclusion, or as far as we can go. This is just the beginning.”
