Artemis II returns to Earth

NASA’s Artemis II crew returned to Earth on April 10, ending the first human trip around the Moon since Apollo and the first crewed Artemis flight. (nasa.gov) Orion splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off California at 8:07 p.m. Eastern on Friday, April 10, and recovery teams from NASA, the United States Navy and the United States Air Force moved in by boat and helicopter. (nasa.gov) The four astronauts were NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen. NASA said the mission launched on April 1 and lasted 9 days, 1 hour and 32 minutes. (nasa.gov) Deep space means flying far beyond the low Earth orbit used by the International Space Station, and Artemis II was the first crewed test of NASA’s Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket in that environment. NASA said the flight was designed to verify that the capsule, rocket and ground systems work with people aboard before later lunar missions. (nasa.gov) The mission flew around the Moon rather than landing on it. NASA said the crew spent the first two days checking Orion systems near Earth, then headed outward for a lunar flyby before turning back for reentry and splashdown. (nasa.gov) NASA has been using Artemis to build a new Moon program after Artemis I, an uncrewed test flight in 2022, sent Orion around the Moon and back. Artemis II was the program’s first flight with astronauts aboard, and NASA says it is meant to clear the way for future lunar surface missions. (nasa.gov) The crew also carried national firsts into deep space. The Canadian Space Agency said Hansen became the first Canadian assigned to a mission around the Moon, while NASA selected Glover as pilot and Koch as mission specialist for a flight the agency has described as widening who gets to represent the United States in lunar exploration. (canada.ca; nasa.gov) After splashdown, Orion was lifted into the well deck of the USS John P. Murtha for the trip back to Naval Base San Diego, and the astronauts were flown to the ship for medical checks before heading on to Houston. (nasa.gov) NASA said engineers will take Orion back to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for post-flight analysis, as the agency uses Artemis II data to prepare for the next missions in its Moon campaign. (nasa.gov)