{"id":20172,"date":"2026-04-12T15:22:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:22:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=20172"},"modified":"2026-04-12T15:22:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T15:22:44","slug":"the-mission-ended-exactly-as-planned-safe-return-historic-achievement-everything-by-the-book-but-while-the-world-was-celebrating-artemis-iis-success-something-else-quietly-starte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/?p=20172","title":{"rendered":"The mission ended exactly as planned. Safe return, historic achievement, everything by the book. But while the world was celebrating Artemis II\u2019s success\u2026 something else quietly started getting attention."},"content":{"rendered":"

Artemis II spectacularly\u00a0splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday\u00a0evening \u2014 concluding mankind\u2019s historic return to the moon and completing the first steps toward walking on the lunar surface again.<\/p>\n

The capsule perfectly plunked down in the Pacific Ocean\u00a0<\/strong>off the coast of San Diego precisely at 8:07 p.m. ET,\u00a0with the dangerous reentry\u00a0going off without a hitch as giant orange and white parachutes slowed the zooming capsule for a gentle splashdown at 19 mph.<\/p>\n

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The crew \u2014 Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Jeremy Hansen and Christina Koch \u2014 are all in \u201cexcellent shape,\u201d NASA said, calling their landing a \u201cperfect bullseye\u201d that was less than a mile from their target.<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/div>
The Orion crew module, carrying the four-person crew of the Artemis II, splashes down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10, 2026.NASA via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"NASA<\/div>
NASA astronaut Victor Glover arrives on the deck of the USS John P. Murtha after returning to Earth on April 10, 2026.NASA\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cYesterday, flight director Jeff Radigan said we had less than a degree of an angle to hit after a quarter of a million miles to the moon. And their team hit it,\u201d said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. \u201cThat is not luck \u2014 that is 1,000 people doing their job.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Artemis II\u2019s peak velocity hit a staggering 24,664 mph \u2014 not quite enough to break Apollo 10\u2019s record for fastest reentry in 1967 at 24,791 mph \u2014 but impressive in and of itself.<\/p>\n

Recovery crews immediately descended on the scorched, gumdrop-shaped craft by boat and helicopter to secure it \u2014 after it endured estimated temperatures half as hot as the sun on its way through the atmosphere \u2014 and began the extradition process.<\/p>\n

Artemis II\u2019s crew were safely out of the capsule and onto a boat \u2014 donning their bright orange jumpsuits \u2014 more than 90 minutes later.<\/p>\n

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\"NASA<\/div>
NASA astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch pose for a photo on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk after returning to Earth on April 11, 2026.NASA\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"Artemis<\/div>
Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen talk with NASA Flight Surgeon Richard Scheuring on the deck of the USS John P. Murtha on April 10, 2026.NASA\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They were then whisked over to the nearby USS John P. Murtha \u2014 a Navy amphibious dock ship \u2014 to undergo a post-mission medical evaluation before being flown back to NASA headquarters in Houston, Texas. Each astronaut walked across the ship\u2019s deck even though wheelchairs were available to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still at a loss for words,\u201d said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman while perched on Murtha.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, you know, like the childhood Jared right now, can\u2019t believe what I just saw. I mean, almost been waiting my whole lifetime to see this, and then as NASA administrator, i just couldn\u2019t be more proud of the entire workforce, the years, the effort, the late nights, all that contributed to this incredible moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Recovery15<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>
Recovery units secure the Artemis II crew capsule after it returned to Earth on April 10, 2026.via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"Artemis<\/div>
Artemis II\u2019s crew were safely out of the capsule and onto a boat \u2014 donning their bright orange jumpsuits \u2014 more than 90 minutes after splashdown.AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The crew\u2019s faithful Orion capsule \u2014 no longer shiny chrome but blackened from the heat of reentry \u2014 was scooped up into the USS Murtha\u2019s well deck so it can be rigorously studied to improve future flights. Divers also took pictures of the capsule\u2019s heat shield as it floated in the Pacific.<\/p>\n

\u201cCongratulations to the Great and Very Talented Crew of Artemis II,\u201d President Trump posted on Truth Social. \u201cThe entire trip was spectacular, the landing was perfect and, as President of the United States, I could not be more proud! I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We\u2019ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"The<\/div>
The crew\u2019s faithful Orion capsule was no longer shiny chrome but blackened from the heat of reentry.via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"Artemis<\/div>
The successful mission now sets the stage for 2028\u2019s Artemis IV mission to land humans on the moon.NASA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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This stunning picture shows a solar eclipse taken from Artemis II as it passed behind the moon Monday.AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A fastboat passes by the Artemis II crew capsule, which floats in the Pacific Ocean following splashdown.via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bars and ballparks \u2014 including Citi Field in Queens \u2014 across the nation carried the live stream of Artemis II\u2019s return to terra firma, with crowds breaking out into triumphant chants of \u201cUSA! USA!\u201d as the crew splashed down.<\/p>\n

The mission\u2019s success concludes a nine-day epic journey into outerspace that brought the crew further from the Earth than any humans had ever gone before \u2014 with the capsule soaring 252,756 miles from Earth on Monday, breaking the 248,655-mile record set by Apollo 13 nearly 56 years ago to the date in 1970.<\/p>\n

It was the first time humans had seen the moon up close since Apollo 17 left it in 1972, with the Artemis II crew flying about 685,000 miles in a massive figure-eight around the satellite and back to Earth.<\/p>\n

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\"Artemis<\/div>
Crew members are extracted from the Artemis II capsule by recovery personnel in the Pacific Ocean in this screengrab from a livestream video after the Artemis II crew\u2019s flyby of the Moon, April 10, 2026.NASA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\"The<\/div>
The Earth is a tiny sliver of light compared to the moon when Artemis II makes its flyby of the lunar surface.AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The astronauts saw swaths of the far side of the moon\u00a0during the mission that were never before\u00a0seen by human eyes and sent back stunning photos of the lunar surface, with the crescent Earth peering out over its cratered horizon.<\/p>\n

They were just over 4,000 miles from the lunar surface during their flyby, with the moon appearing about the size of a basketball held at arm\u2019s length to the crew peering out the cabin windows.<\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019all, we did it!\u201d said Lori Glaze, Deputy Associate Administrator of NASA Exploration Systems Development. \u201cWe sent four amazing people to the moon and safely returned them to Earth for the first time in more than 50 years. To the generation that now knows what we\u2019re capable of, welcome to our moonshot.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/div>
A helicopter transports Artemis II members after they landed in the Pacific Ocean.NASA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly the entire flight was also broadcast live, with the whole world being invited to tune in and watch the crew as the astronauts floated about the cabin going about their duties at zero gravity.<\/p>\n

One of the most emotional moments of the entire flight came as the crew began their lunar flyby and named a bright crater \u2014 located on the shadow line between the near and far side of the moon \u2014 after Cmdr. Wiseman\u2019s late wife Carroll.<\/p>\n

The whole\u00a0crew was seen breaking down in tears\u00a0and then floating together for an embrace during the dedication.<\/p>\n

Astronauts Koch, Glover and Hensen also made history on the flight: Koch became the first woman to fly to the moon, Glover became the first person who wasn\u2019t white, and the Canadian Hensen became the first non-American to see the moon up close.<\/p>\n

But the crew\u2019s greatest legacy will involve the future of manned space travel.<\/p>\n

The success of Artemis II set the stage for 2028\u2019s Artemis IV mission to land humans on the lunar surface again, while NASA has predicted missions to Mars for the 2030s.<\/p>\n

The only step currently scheduled ahead of the moon landing is 2027\u2019s Artemis III, which will remain in Earth\u2019s orbit and test out the rendezvous procedures and flight capabilities of the new lunar landers.<\/p>\n

Once humans are back on the moon, NASA is planning to build long-term bases, which will be used to help launch manned rockets to Mars.<\/p>\n

If Artemis II failed, those efforts could have been derailed indefinitely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Artemis II spectacularly\u00a0splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday\u00a0evening \u2014 concluding mankind\u2019s historic return to the moon and completing the first steps toward walking on the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20174,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20172\/revisions\/20174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/20173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grow24.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}