Four astronauts from the Artemis II mission successfully splashed down off the coast of San Diego, marking humanity’s first manned moon mission in over 50 years.
Four astronauts from the Artemis II mission completed a historic 10-day journey around the moon, splashing down off the coast of San Diego on Friday evening at 5:07 p.m. Pacific Time. This mission represents the first manned lunar expedition in more than half a century.
The crew launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 1, embarking on a journey that took them approximately 252,000 miles from Earth, further than any previous human spaceflight mission. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, who landed on the USS John P. Murtha ahead of the splashdown, expressed confidence in the recovery team’s ability to assist the astronauts.
“I have no doubt that you’re all going to execute this flawlessly as we get these astronauts who have just completed an absolute historic mission, traveling further into space than any humans have gone before,” Isaacman stated.
He emphasized the significance of the mission, noting, “For the first time, we’ve gone into the lunar environment in more than half a century. We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon again.” Isaacman also highlighted future plans, mentioning that once Artemis III launches in 2028 for the first moon landing in decades, NASA intends to establish a permanent presence on the moon.
After their successful mission, the four astronauts—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen—were assisted out of the Orion crew module and taken aboard the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluations.
The Orion spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 25,000 mph, utilizing an 11-parachute sequence to slow down to about 20 mph before landing in the ocean, roughly 60 miles off the coast. During reentry, temperatures outside the spacecraft soared to around 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The last time astronauts traveled to the moon was in December 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission, three years after the historic Apollo 11 mission, which marked humanity’s first landing on the lunar surface in 1969.
This successful splashdown not only signifies a monumental achievement in space exploration but also paves the way for future lunar missions and the potential establishment of a moon base, according to Fox News.