Broken Arrow Family Watches Historic Space Flight From Tulsa Air & Space Museum

Some people across Green Country had a unique view of Tuesday’s Blue Origin rocket launch from the planetarium at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum.

Wally Funk, now the oldest person to go to space, made an impact on a young girl at the museum Tuesday. Nine-year-old Abi Robinson and her seven-year-old brother Aaron got a taste of astronaut life, eating freeze-dried ice cream from the Tulsa Air and Space Museum.

It was a special treat after an exciting morning the kids will always remember: The day the first passengers blasted off to space in Blue Origin's fully-automated rocket, "New Shepard," and safely landed back on Earth in the Texas desert.

Wally Funk, at age 82, became the oldest person to go to space.

"It was really special for, specifically, my kids to see civilians going up into space,” Broken Arrow Resident Christen Robinson said.

Robinson said she and her kids go to the museum a couple of times a year. Tuesday, Robinson’s mom, mother-in-law, and nephew joined them. Christen said Tuesday’s trip to space left an immediate impression on her daughter Abi.

"When the astronauts came out of their vessel, my daughter said, 'There's a girl astronaut?' And I said, 'Of course there is!'" Robinson said.

Funk now lives in Texas, but some might claim her as "Oklahoma's Own." She graduated from Oklahoma State University and was a flight instructor at Ft. Sill.

Tulsa Air and Space Museum Planetarium Manager Bryan Kyle said events like Tuesday’s watch party, and the Oklahoma connection, help excite the next generation.

"We preserve the past and inspire the future,” Kyle said. “So we try to engage with our audience as much as we can to encourage an interest in aerospace as much as possible, to continue Oklahoma's legacy.”

While the Robinson kids are enjoying astronaut ice cream and toy space shuttles now, their next adventure could be out of this world.