Artemis II astronauts splash down after historic Moon mission
The Artemis II crew safely returned to Earth Friday, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego following a landmark mission that sent humans farther into space than ever before.
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen splashed down at 5:07 p.m. PDT (8:07 p.m. ET) after a nearly 10-day journey around the Moon. Traveling a total of more than 694,000 miles, the crew reached a record distance of 252,756 miles from Earth – surpassing the mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
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“The Artemis II crew is home. The entry, descent, and landing systems performed as designed and the final test was completed as intended. This moment belongs to the thousands of people across fourteen countries who built, tested, and trusted this vehicle. Their work protected four human lives traveling at 25,000 miles per hour and brought them safely back to Earth,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya.
The Orion spacecraft endured a high-speed reentry before parachuting into the ocean, where U.S. Navy recovery teams swiftly secured the capsule and transported the astronauts to the USS John P. Murtha for initial medical evaluations. All four crew members were reported in stable condition.
Launched April 1 aboard NASA’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, Artemis II marked the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years. During the flight, astronauts tested critical life-support systems, performed manual piloting maneuvers, and conducted scientific experiments to better understand how humans can live and work in deep space.
The mission also delivered stunning visuals, with the crew capturing thousands of images of the Moon, Earth, and a rare solar eclipse from deep space—data NASA says will help guide future lunar exploration.
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NASA officials hailed the mission as a major success and a turning point for human spaceflight. Artemis II is seen as a crucial step toward Artemis III, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface and lay the groundwork for a sustained human presence on the Moon—and eventually, missions to Mars.
Welcome home astronauts!
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(Sources: NASA, CBS News, CNN)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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