Artemis II: Astronauts make ‘perfect’ splashdown after historic 10-day moon mission
NASA’s Artemis II: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
NASA’s four crew members became the first people to travel to the moon and back in more than half a century.
NASA’s Artemis II — the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years — returned to Earth on Friday after completing its historic trip around the moon.
The four-member crew — NASA commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen — successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 8:07 p.m. ET after plummeting through Earth’s atmosphere at more than 24,000 mph.
“A new chapter of the exploration of our celestial neighbour is complete,” NASA mission control announced on its live broadcast. “Integrity’s astronauts, back on Earth.”
To get there, the Artemis II crew had to endure one of the most harrowing parts of their journey: a reentry that heated the outside of their capsule (and its problematic heat shield) to more than 5,000°F.
In a “mission accomplished” post on social media, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the Artemis II crew for doing an outstanding job as “humanity’s ambassadors to the stars.”
“This was a test mission, the first crewed flight of SLS and Orion, pushing farther into the unforgiving environment of space than ever before, and it carried real risk,” Isaacman wrote. “They accepted that risk for all we stood to learn and for the exciting missions that follow, as we return to the lunar surface, build a Moon base, and prepare for what comes next.”
President Trump also congratulated “the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II” on social media.
“The entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud!” Trump wrote. “I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!”
During Monday’s seven-hour lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts set a new record for the farthest distance from Earth traveled by humans — 252,756 miles, surpassing the previous mark set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
Safe and sound, Artemis II astronauts emerge from their module
After circling the floating Integrity module on fast boats to check for hazards, the NASA and U.S. Navy recovery team finally opened the spacecraft’s hatch just before 9:00 p.m. ET.
Multiple personnel then entered the module to check on each Artemis II crew member.
A few minutes later — a little more than an hour after splashdown — the recovery team finally inflated its large “front porch” life raft: a waiting room, of sorts, for the two helicopters coming to carry the Artemis II crew to the USS John P. Murtha.
One by one, the four astronauts emerged into the late afternoon sunlight and took their first breaths of fresh air since April 1.
Artemis II crew shares their favorite wake-up song picks
NASA shared a video of the Artemis II crew picking out some of the daily wake-up songs while on board Orion.
Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen said his favorite wake-up song was Wednesday’s “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie, because his family suggested it.
Pilot Victor Glover said his wife replaced one of his chosen songs, which garnered laughs from the rest of the crew, with “Good Morning” by Mandisa and TobyMac. “It was actually really pleasant to wake up to, so I give her a shout-out and that was my favorite one.”
Commander Reid Wiseman said, “‘Tokyo Drifting’ is a song that my daughters and I listen to every year when we go on our annual vacation to Florida, and so that one meant the most to me.”
Mission specialist Christina Koch said that while the wake-up songs have been “absolute perfection,” she pointed out that mission control cut Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” before the chorus. “I really was just singing it all day after that,” she said. Koch added that she picked the song “Sleepyhead” by Young & Sick “because it was after a four-hour nap after being awake for, I’m not sure how long, but many, many, many, many hours and I knew that we would need a little backup on that.”
Jeremy Hansen’s wife made ‘splashdown chicken tacos’ ahead of the Artemis II crew’s return to Earth
Dr. Catherine Hansen, the wife of Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, shared in an Instagram post on Thursday that she was prepping “splashdown chicken tacos” before the Artemis II crew was set to return to Earth.
“Splashdown chicken tacos, is my new recipe,” Hansen wrote in the caption. “I wonder what Jeremy will want for his first meal at home?”
In the accompanying video, she said, “Just sitting here making some chicken tacos. I’m expecting Jeremy’s parents any minute, and the kids are all ready and excited and looking forward to having their dad back on Earth.”
She went on to thank everyone who reached out with encouraging and hopeful messages, saying, “The only thing left for us is: Let’s get them home safely.”
The crew’s immediate family members were present at NASA’s mission control center in Houston during the critical reentry and splashdown phases.
