Artemis II successfully splashes down, completing historic lunar mission
evening — concluding mankind’s historic return to the moon and completing the first steps toward walking on the lunar surface again. The capsule perfectly plunked down in the Pacific Oceangoing off without a hitch as giant orange and white parachutes slowed the zooming capsule for a gentle splashdown at 19 mph.
The crew — Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch — are all in “excellent shape,” NASA said, calling their landing a “perfect bullseye.” Recovery crews immediately descended on the scorched, gumdrop-shaped craft by boat and helicopter to secure it — after it endured estimated temperatures half as hot as the sun on its way through the atmosphere — and to begin the extraction process.Artemis II’s crew were to remain in the capsule for an hour or two before they were to be finally removed and hoisted into the waiting choppers.FedEx killer Tanner Horner jurors hear audio so gruesome that local news cuts away from feed The outrageous request FedEx driver Tanner Horner made to cops after killing 7-year-old Athena Strand They then were to be whisked over to the nearby USS John P. Murtha — a Navy amphibious dock ship — where they were to undergo a post-mission medical evaluation before being flown back to NASA headquarters in Houston, Texas.“I mean, you know, like the childhood Jared right now, can’t believe what I just saw. I mean, almost been waiting my whole lifetime to see this, and then as NASA administrator, i just couldn’t be more proud of the entire workforce, the years, the effort, the late nights, all that contributed to this incredible moment.”The crew’s faithful Orion capsule — no longer shiny chrome but blackened from the heat of reentry — will be scooped up into the USS Murtha’s well deck so it can be rigorously studied to improve future flights. The mission’s success concludes a 10-day epic journey into outerspace that brought the crew further from the Earth than any humans had ever gone before — with the capsule soaring 252,756 miles from Earth on Monday, breaking the 248,655-mile record set by Apollo 13 nearly 56 years ago to the date in 1970. It was the first time humans had seen the moon up close since Apollo 17 left it in 1972, with the Artemis II crew flying about 685,000 miles in a massive figure-eight around the satellite and back to Earth.during the mission that were never before seen by human eyes and sent back stunning photos of the lunar surface, with the crescent Earth peering out over its cratered horizon. They were just over 4,000 miles from the lunar surface during their flyby, with the moon appearing about the size of a basketball held at arm’s length to the crew peering out the cabin windows. Nearly the entire flight was also broadcast live, with the whole world being invited to tune in and watch the crew as the astronauts floated about the cabin going about their duties at zero gravity.The Earth is a tiny sliver of light compared to the moon when Artemis II makes its flyby of the lunar surface.One of the most emotional moments of the entire flight came as the crew began their lunar flyby and named a bright crater — located on the shadow line between the near and far side of the moon — after Cmdr. Wiseman’s late wife Carroll.Astronauts Koch, Glover and Hensen also made history on the flight: Koch became the first woman to fly to the moon, Glover became the first person who wasn’t white, and the Canadian Hensen became the first non-American to see the moon up close.But the crew’s greatest legacy will involve the future of manned space travel. The success of Artemis II set the stage for 2028’s Artemis IV mission to land humans on the lunar surface again, while NASA has predicted missions to Mars for the 2030s. The only step currently scheduled ahead of the moon landing is 2027’s Artemis III, which will remain in Earth’s orbit and test out the rendezvous procedures and flight capabilities of the new lunar landers.Artemis II’s crew was comprised of specialist Jeremy Hensen, pilot Victor Glover, Cmdr. Reid Wiseman and specialist Christina Koch.Once humans are back on the moon, NASA is planning to build long-term bases, which will be used to help launch manned rockets to Mars.FedEx killer Tanner Horner jurors hear audio so gruesome that local news cuts away from feed The outrageous request FedEx driver Tanner Horner made to cops after killing 7-year-old Athena Strand‘RHOA’ star Drew Sidora ordered to vacate home as ex Ralph Pittman awarded custody of kids Ben Affleck gifts Jennifer Lopez his portion of their $60 million mansion for freeSydney Sweeney Takes Sides On ‘Summer House’ Scandal When Pressed By Ciara Miller: “Too Much Pain”Chloe Fineman Confesses She Was Fired as a Camp Counselor for Pantsing a 6-Year-Old Boy—As Her Fellow ‘SNL’ Stars Look On In Horror And Disbelief ‘The View’s Joy Behar Jokes Trump Won’t Get A Dog Because “He’s Afraid Kristi Noem Will Shoot It”NASA The Earth is a tiny sliver of light compared to the moon when Artemis II makes its flyby of the lunar surface.The successful mission now sets the stage for 2028's Artemis IV mission to land humans on the moon. Artemis II's crew was comprised of specialist Jeremy Hensen, pilot Victor Glover, Cmdr. Reid Wiseman and specialist Christina Koch. Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Outcome’ on Apple TV+, a Hollywood Satire in Which Jonah Hill and Keanu Reeves Fight Over a Tone
Artemis Ii Astronauts Mars Moon Nasa Space Program
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Artemis II astronaut's reflection on his faith from space is moving people on EarthArtemis II Astronaut Victor Glover shared an inspiring, off-the-cuff message for anyone who's following the crew's mission from back home on Earth.
Read more »
Artemis II astronaut Christina Koch: ‘Looking back at Earth…it truly emphasized how alike we are’Koch previously spent 328 consecutive days in space.
Read more »
Splashdown for Artemis II looking good, but NASA monitors Pacific storm that could impact landingThe conditions for the Artemis II spacecraft's return to Earth have to be as precise as possible, and NASA's meteorologists are relying on the West Coast's reliably perfect weather to welcome Orion home.
Read more »
With Artemis 2 Flying Home, NASA Is Already Teasing Artemis 3The agency is already formulating the next Artemis mission, which will test integrated operations between the Orion spacecraft and one or both of NASA’s Moon landers.
Read more »
Artemis 2 LIVE: NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts prepare to return to Earth todayTariq is the award-winning Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001. He covers human spaceflight, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.
Read more »
Artemis 2 LIVE: NASA's Artemis 2 astronauts prepare splashdown todayTariq is the award-winning Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001. He covers human spaceflight, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.
Read more »