Artemis II Mission Ends With Historic Pacific Splashdown
The Orion spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere and landed at 8:07 ET (0007 GMT) after enduring extreme reentry conditions, including temperatures exceeding 3,000°F (1,649°C). The capsule slowed from speeds roughly 33 times the speed of sound before touching down at about 19 mph (30 kph).
All four crew members—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—returned safely after completing a mission that took them farther from Earth than any humans in history.
During the flight, the spacecraft conducted a lunar flyby and used the Moon’s gravity to propel itself into a return trajectory. At its farthest point, Orion reached approximately 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers) from Earth, surpassing the Apollo 13 distance record set in 1970.
The crew observed the Moon’s far side and witnessed a solar eclipse from space, while the spacecraft also reached a closest lunar approach of about 4,067 miles above the surface before beginning its journey home, according to NASA.
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