The Artemis II crew capsule floats in the Pacific Ocean following splashdown in this screengrab from a livestream video after the Artemis II crew's flyby of the Moon, April 10, 2026. via REUTERS And they’re back!
The Artemis II crew has returned to terra firma after an insane 14-minute dive through the atmosphere, slowing from nearly 25,000 mph to just 20 before splashdown off the California coast, with the capsule’s outer surface hitting temps above 5,000 degrees.
So ended the history-making, 10-day, 685,000-mile flight, the first manned trip to the moon in more than half a century.
They sent back never-before-seen pics of Luna’s dark side, and astonishing new “earthrise” shots, but pilot Victor Glover says, “There’s so many more pictures, so many more stories, and, gosh, I haven’t even begun to process what we’ve been through.”
America and the world followed the trip from the amusing-if-you-weren’t-there toilet troubles to the touching call to name a dark-side “bright spot” after mission commander Reid Weisman’s late wife Carroll.
This inspiring mission didn’t simply recall the glory days of Apollo, it opened the door wide to truly new exploits, including a permanent human off-earth presence that will let mankind travel to Mars and then the asteroid belt.
Under the leadership of President Donald Trump and his NASA chief Jared Isaacman, our nation is once again reaching for the stars — hurrah!
