HOUSTON (AP) 鈥� Artemis II鈥檚 astronauts closed out in more than half a century with a Pacific splashdown on Friday, blazing new records near the moon with grace and joy.
It was a dramatic that revealed not only swaths of the lunar far side never seen before by human eyes, but a total solar eclipse and a parade of planets, most notably our own shimmering Earth against the endless black void of space.
With their flight now complete, the four astronauts have set NASA up for a moon landing by another crew in just two years and a full-blown moon base within the decade.
The triumphant moon-farers 鈥� commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada鈥檚 Jeremy Hansen 鈥� emerged from their bobbing capsule into the sunlight off the coast of San Diego.
In a scene reminiscent of of yesteryear, military helicopters hoisted the astronauts one by one from an inflatable raft docked to the capsule, hauling them aboard for the short trip to the Navy鈥檚 awaiting recovery ship, the USS John P. Murtha.
鈥淭hese were the ambassadors from humanity to the stars that we sent out there right now, and I can鈥檛 imagine a better crew,鈥� NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said from the recovery ship.
NASA’s Mission Control erupted in celebration, with hundreds pouring in from the back support rooms. 鈥淲e did it,鈥� NASA’s Lori Glaze rejoiced at a news conference. 鈥淲elcome to our moonshot.鈥�
Their Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, made the entire plunge on automatic pilot. The lunar cruiser hit the atmosphere traveling Mach 33 鈥� or 33 times the speed of sound 鈥� a blistering blur not seen since the 1960s and 1970s Apollo.
The tension in Mission Control mounted as the capsule became engulfed in red-hot plasma during peak heating and entered a planned communication blackout. All eyes were on the capsule鈥檚 life-protecting heat shield that had to withstand thousands of degrees during reentry.
Watching the drama unfold nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away, the astronauts鈥� families huddled in Mission Control’s viewing room, cheering when the capsule emerged from its six-minute blackout and again at splashdown.
The last time NASA and the Defense Department teamed up for a lunar crew鈥檚 reentry was Apollo 17 in 1972. Artemis II came screaming back at 36,174 feet (11,026 meters) per second 鈥� or 24,664 mph (39,693 kph) 鈥� just shy of the record before slowing to a 19 mph (30 kph) splashdown.
Until Artemis II, NASA鈥檚 fresh-from-the-moon homecomings starred only white male pilots. Intent on reflecting changes in society, NASA chose a diverse, multinational crew for its lunar comeback.
Koch became the first woman to fly to the moon, Glover the first Black astronaut and Hansen the first non-U.S. citizen, bursting Canada with pride. They laughed, cried and hugged all the way there and back, striving to take the entire world along with them.
Artemis II’s record flyby and views of the moon
on April 1, the astronauts racked up one win after another as they deftly navigated NASA鈥檚 long-awaited lunar comeback, the first major step in establishing a sustainable moon base.
Artemis II didn’t land on the moon or even orbit it. But it and marked the farthest that humans have ever journeyed from Earth when the crew reached 252,756 miles (406,771 kilometers). Then in the mission’s most heart-tugging scene, the teary astronauts asked permission after their moonship and Wiseman’s late wife, Carroll.
During Monday’s record-breaking flyby, of the moon’s far side never seen before by the human eye along with a total solar eclipse. The eclipse, in particular, 鈥渏ust blew all of us away,鈥� Glover said.
awed everyone, as did their breathtaking pictures of the moon and Earth. The Artemis II crew channeled Apollo 8’s first lunar explorers with Earthset, showing our Blue Marble setting behind the gray moon. It was reminiscent of Apollo 8鈥檚 famous Earthrise shot from 1968.
Born a decade after Apollo, Isaacman greeted the astronauts with hugs as they headed from the helicopters to the ship鈥檚 medical bay for routine checks. They walked by themselves, refusing the wheelchairs offered them.
鈥淲e are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon, bringing them back safely and to set up for a series more,鈥� Isaacman said. 鈥淭his is just the beginning.鈥�
Their moonshot drew global attention as well as star power, earning props from President Donald Trump; Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney; Britain’s King Charles III; Ryan Gosling, star of the latest space flick 鈥淧roject Hail Mary鈥�; Scarlett Johansson of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner of TV鈥檚 original 鈥淪tar Trek.鈥�
Artemis II was a test flight for future moon missions
Despite its rich scientific yield, the nearly 10-day flight was not without technical issues. Both the capsule鈥檚 drinking water and propellant systems were hit with valve problems. In perhaps the most high-profile predicament, the toilet kept malfunctioning, but the astronauts shrugged it all off.
As for the heat shield, military aircraft crews photographed it from afar during reentry, and divers checked it from underneath as the capsule floated in the Pacific. More detailed examinations are planned.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 explore deeper unless we are doing a few things that are inconvenient,鈥� Koch said, 鈥渦nless we鈥檙e making a few sacrifices, unless we鈥檙e taking a few risks, and those things are all worth it.鈥�
Added Hansen: 鈥淵ou do a lot of testing on the ground, but your final test is when you get this hardware to space and it鈥檚 a doozy.鈥�
Under the revamped Artemis program, next year鈥檚 Artemis III will see astronauts practice docking their capsule with a lunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will attempt to land a crew of two near the moon鈥檚 south pole in 2028.
The Artemis II astronauts’ allegiance was to those future crews, Wiseman said.
鈥淏ut we really hoped in our soul is that we could for just for a moment have the world pause and remember that this is a beautiful planet and a very special place in our universe, and we should all cherish what we have been gifted,鈥� he said.
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