FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — The SpaceX rocket headed to the International Space Station lit up the sky early Wednesday morning at the Kennedy Space Center.
Of the four-member crew, three are American. One of those three is making history on this mission.
"Who did we learn about today friends?" asked Valeska Sanchez, a teacher at Meadows Elementary School.
"Jessica Watkins!" the class yelled back.
Watkins on Wednesday became the first Black woman to go to the ISS.
As Crew-4 rocketed into space, fourth-graders from Meadows Elementary were sending messages from earth. The class used colored pencils, markers, and scissors.
"She's going to be the first Black woman to go on the International Space Station," said Eva, a Meadows Elementary student.
Watkins will be carrying out a months-long mission on the ISS. She's also part of NASA's Artemis program with hopes to bring Astronauts back to the moon.
"She's really brave to do that because if that was me I'd be extremely scared," said Isa Thompson, another Meadows Elementary student.
"So, you don't want to go to space?" asked KHOU 11's Xavier Walton.
"No!"' she exclaimed.
It didn't take long to figure out some of these students are afraid of heights, but after watching Watkinson Wednesday, they're motivated to reach for the stars.
"It feels amazing that someone with color actually has a chance to do that type of stuff because years ago that, was not even possible," said Thompson.
"She's inspiring because she's a woman that's doing it and she's Black," said Meadows Elementary student Jasmine Anaang Johnson.
"It makes me proud because in the past women didn't have many rights and especially woman of color," said Eva. "So that's what makes me proud."
Proud, inspirational, and raising the bar higher than ever before.
"I really look up to her because she's like very amazing," said Anaang Johnson.