Today, NASA made history by launching the SLS rocket and Orion capsule for the first crewed mission to cislunar space since Apollo 17 returned to Earth in 1972.

Watching the launch was wild. As Jason Snell mentioned to me, it is amazing how much the SLS sounds like a space shuttle, thanks to its mountain of recycled and upgraded shuttle-era components.

That sound — in contrast to footage that looks very similar to the launches of the old Saturn V — really struck a chord in me.

(And if you can’t watch the video of the stage separation and not feel something, you aren’t hooked up right.)

The crew is made up of Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They are now on their way to the moon, set to return in 10 days. Their rocket may be the product of a hugely-flawed program, but right now, that doesn’t matter. They are getting us closer to returning to the lunar surface than we’ve been in 50 years. That’s worth celebrating.

Commander Reid Wiseman’s view is one we haven’t seen of our world since 1972: