For the first-time since NASA retired its Space Shuttle program in 2011, astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley were set to be the first astronauts to lift off into space on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon Demo-2 capsule on May 30th, 2020.

It was a cloudy, dreary day in Cape Canaveral, with no favorable conditions for a rocket to shoot up into space. Yet thousands of Floridians and other Americans drove from as far as North Carolina for the chance to see this historic launch, despite the coronavirus threat. Officials warned spectators not to come to the Cape as they didn’t want to further the spread of the virus. People came anyway because this was too significant to miss.

I was one of those people who was ready to witness history in action. When I got to the Cape, the energy was exhilarating. This energy carried on even thirty minutes before the launch when it started to rain. We’ve waited nine years for this moment and no rain or virus was going to stop us. While getting drenched in rain I admired the infectious American spirit of these men and women who wanted nothing more than to see two people who they don’t even know accomplish such a great feat. It paid off.

Eventually, it stopped raining and it was a go for launch. The launch director counted down as I looked to the sky. A big ball of fire lifted the rocket into the air with the hopes and dreams of the astronauts, engineers, launch team, and the millions of Americans watching from all over the United States. After a minute or so the sonic boom finally hit where I was standing, thirteen miles away from the launch pad. The crowd erupted with cheers and applause as they rejoiced in a successful launch. At that moment, no one feared the coronavirus because we just proved that as a society, we are bigger than it.