PHOTO VIDEO The moment when the Artemis II mission returns to Earth, after a historic journey around the Moon
Astronauts on the Artemis II mission returned safely to Earth Friday night after a “textbook dive.” The descent of the Orion capsule into the Earth's atmosphere and landing in the Pacific Ocean was broadcast by NASA.
NASA's Orion capsule, named Integrity, parachuted into the sea off the southern coast of California shortly after 5:07 p.m. Pacific time (03:07 a.m. Saturday in the United States), ending a 10-day mission to the moon and back.
The most dangerous part of the journey was the descent through the Earth's atmosphere:.
Orion entered the Earth's atmosphere at almost 40,000 km/h and recorded temperatures of 2,760°C – about half of the Sun's, notes the BBC.
The separation from the spacecraft, loss of communications, atmospheric entry and descent into the Pacific under partly cloudy skies was broadcast live via a NASA video feed.
After docking, Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman relayed good news about the condition of the crew inside Orion. “What a trip! We're in stable condition. All four crew members are fine,” Wiseman said.
On April 6, the spacecraft reached its maximum distance from Earth – 406,771 km – during the lunar flyby, breaking the previous record for the greatest distance ever traveled by humans in space.
