Artemis Two Crew Splashdown: Historic Moon Mission

0:00The Artemis II crew just wrapped a groundbreaking trip around the moon, and they're touching down soon. NASA's Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, plus Canada's Jeremy Hansen, flew 10 days in the Orion spacecraft. They launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1st, and now Splashdown hits the Pacific Ocean Friday at 807 PM Eastern Daylight Time. That last leg backpacks real risks, especially for Orion's heat shield. It takes the brunt of insane heat on reentry, up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. They saw damage on the uncrewed Artemis I, so NASA tweaked the flight path to ease the stress. Officials say it's all good for a safe ride home. This mission echoes Apollo days, first humans looping the moon since then. Crew check systems in Earth orbit day one, burn engines, days two to five for the roughly 244,000 mile haul, then slung. Back using gravity on days six to nine. Pure historic flex for NASA's moon return push.

1:00Reentry kicks off with the service module ditching, then a six-minute radio blackout. Parachutes pop around 803 PM, leading to that ocean dip. Recovery chopper scooped them quick, flying to the USS John P. Martha for medical checks within two hours. Keep eyes peeled on NASA's real-time tracker, or live feeds while they coast in. This smooth landing sets the stage for Artemis III and beyond, proving we got the tech to chase those lunar dreams again. You've been listening to Tepa Bay News today, AI-powered local news.