ORLANDO, Fla. — People from around the world made their way to the space coast to check out the SpaceX Crew 10 launch, with many of them finding a spot at Space View Park in Titusville like Matt Malecki from New York.

“It was awesome! You know, since I was a kid, I always watched the Apollo program and the Gemini program and it’s nice to see something live. It’s historic,” exclaimed Malecki.

Malecki took in the spectacle with his wife and couldn’t even come up with the words to describe what he saw.

“Everything. It’s just so overwhelming because you know it’s there and all of a sudden you see this big flash and it takes off and it’s this big flame going up,” Malecki said.

Visitors like Malecki arrived hours ahead of the launch in order to secure their spot.

With some folks even getting creative with how they bided their time, like throwing the football around and playing with toy rockets.

But the Reno’s from Ocala say the experience was well worth the wait and shared their favorite parts of the launch.

“When it went into outer space and did a sonic kaboom,” a young Jase Reno said.

 “It was cool. We got to see the flames that were a lot more visible from this vantage point, we actually felt the roar of the engine and you know basically just a clear view and the sonic boom was amazing at the end,” Jase’s dad Bobby Reno said.

Malecki agrees with Reno’s and encourages others to consider the experience as well.

“Do it! It’s a once in a lifetime experience and it should be on your bucket list,” said Malecki. “You know it’s a good feeling and it’s good for the country.”

Malecki says it takes a special kind of event to bring so many people together like there was at Space View Park Friday and he says it seems everyone left feeling just a little happier, if only for a bit.

The crew 10 team is expected to spend the next 6 months at the International Space Station, while crew 9 is expected to return to earth by Wednesday March 19.