The Artemis II astronauts have safely returned from their historic voyage around the moon.
On April 10, their Orion spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere at more than 38,000 kilometers per hour (24,000 miles per hour). At that speed, friction caused the outside of the capsule to heat up to nearly 2,800° Celsius (5,100° Fahrenheit). A special heat shield on the spacecraft protected the astronauts inside.
Upon reaching an altitude of about 7 kilometers (4 miles), the capsule let loose 11 parachutes. These slowed the spacecraft to about 30 kilometers per hour (19 miles per hour), before it splashed down off the coast of San Diego, Calif.
After disembarking, the astronauts were taken back to NASA mission control in Houston, Texas.
Throughout their journey, the Artemis II astronauts made history. They became the first people to visit the moon in more than 50 years. They got unmatched views of the lunar farside. They set a new record for the farthest that humans have traveled from Earth. And they became the first people to see a solar eclip...
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