The McDonnell Planetarium Hosts Special Livestream of the Artemis 1 Splashdown

The St. Louis community had the opportunity to come together and celebrate a unique moment in science on Sunday, December 11, when the McDonnell Planetarium hosted a special livestream of the Orion spacecraft after it completed a 1.4 million-mile journey around the Moon as part of the Artemis 1 flight test.

In the Planetarium’s Star Bay, the Science Center team hosted a public watch party of the spacecraft’s reentry and splashdown after its nearly monthlong trip around the Moon.

With the internet and smartphones, live coverage of NASA missions is more accessible than ever, but “I think there’s something special about watching these events in real time with other people as a community,” says Will Snyder, Manager of the McDonnell Planetarium.

“When the Orion capsule gently splashed down in the water, there were several cheers and guests all around the theater began clapping,” Snyder says. “I think that is really cool!” While anyone could watch the coverage on YouTube, he says, there’s something important about coming together with other people to share in the experience. “I love that the Science Center can be that place in the community for people to gather and share in these events.”

Guests were able to watch NASA’s live coverage on the screen in the Planetarium’s Star Bay and ask questions in real time from the Planetarium’s team of educators.

Snyder points out that, while people have quick access to services like Google, there’s something important about the in-person experience. “The human connection and dialog we’re able to have with guests in moments like these is huge,” Snyder explains. “We’re able to nurture that innate curiosity and share our excitement with guests all at the same time.”

The day was also notable in that it happened to be the 50th anniversary of NASA’s last Moon landing with the Apollo 17 mission. In the audience, guests young and old were able to take part. Snyder says, “We had a mixture of folks, some of whom were alive and remember the Apollo program, as well as a new generation that may be experiencing their first time seeing a mission to the Moon, not just reading about it in textbooks.”