Artemis II crew safely splash down off San Diego coast after historic moon mission
Artemis II astronauts landed safely off the coast of San Diego at 5:07 p.m. Friday after a historic 10-day mission around the moon, finally allowing the crew and NASA officials to breathe a sigh of relief.
NASA considered the high-energy reentry, which traveled as a nearly 5,000-degree fireball through the atmosphere at more than 30 times the speed of sound, one of the mission’s riskiest moments.
Space agency officials’ blood pressure rose even higher as experts closely monitored the performance of the heat shield the astronauts used to slow them down and keep the temperature at habitable levels.
During the 2022 Artemis I test mission with no one on board, the heat shield unexpectedly broke at more than 100 points. NASA determined that the astronauts on board would not be harmed, but noted that the problem poses an increased risk to future crew. Instead of redesigning NASA’s heat shield for future missions, the agency opted to move the capsule into a steeper orbit aimed at creating less stress on the materials.
The Artemis Program, an international collaboration spearheaded by NASA, aims to send bots back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. The space agency hopes to establish a moon base as a testing ground for future missions to Mars.
Artemis II, a flyby mission around the moon that lifted off on April 1, focused on testing life support systems and practicing piloting the spacecraft to make the journey a smoother journey for future crews who will focus on the complex challenge of actually landing on the lunar surface.
Christian Ramirez, Jr., 8, examines his astronaut suit while waiting for the Artemis II Landing Watch Party, which includes a live feed of the landing on a big screen at the Columbia Memorial Space Center in Downey on Friday.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
They fixed problems with the capsule’s space toilet (multiple times), manually inspected the spacecraft, and tested procedures such as solar radiation protection in the cargo locker.
But Monday’s flight – the first time humans reached the moon since 1972 – held emotional significance for the crew and space enthusiasts beyond the mission’s technical goals.
While in space, the crew described surreal images of our dusty, rugged natural satellite suspended in nothingness, appearing the size of a bowling ball at arm’s length. The astronauts couldn’t help but feel a renewed appreciation for our home planet.
“Maybe the fact that we’re so far away from you makes you think what we’re doing is special,” Artemis II pilot and SoCal native Victor Glover said on his way to the moon on Easter. “But we’re the same distance away from you, and—I’m trying to tell you, just trust me—you are special. In all this space—this pile of nothingness, this thing we call the universe—you have this oasis, this beautiful place where we can exist together.”
About 25 minutes before the crew returned to our oasis, Artemis II Commander. Reid Wiseman radioed Mission Control.
“We have a great view of the moon from the second window,” he said. “It looks a little smaller than yesterday.”
“I guess we’ll have to head back,” Mission Control replied.
