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Artemis II Crew Returns to Earth After Lunar Orbit
10 Apr
Summary
- Artemis II mission concludes with splashdown off San Diego coast.
- Crew faces intense heat during a 13-minute re-entry sequence.
- This marks the first human return from the Moon in 53 years.
The NASA Artemis II mission is scheduled to return to Earth later today, concluding its historic journey around the Moon. The Orion spacecraft, with astronauts Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen aboard, is expected to splash down approximately off the coast of San Diego at 8:07 PM ET.
After nine days in space, the crew faces the most critical phase: a 13-minute re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. During this time, the spacecraft will be subjected to temperatures reaching up to 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, demanding careful navigation.
NASA has adjusted the re-entry strategy following observations from the Artemis I mission, where a "skip reentry" caused excess charring. The current mission will employ a more gradual descent to minimize heat exposure, ensuring crew safety.
This mission is particularly significant as it represents the first human return from lunar proximity in 53 years. The Artemis II crew will have traveled a total of 695,081 miles, capturing remarkable images and underscoring international collaboration in space exploration.
