Artemis II astronauts call lunar voyage surreal and profound as they prepare to return to Earth

Artemis II crew members described their time behind the moon as surreal and profound, and the mission reached a record 252,756 miles from Earth as they prepare for a planned Friday Pacific reentry and splashdown.

Artemis II astronauts spoke about the mission's emotional and sensory impact as they prepared to return to Earth. Commander Reid Wiseman said being out of contact behind the moon for nearly an hour felt surreal. Pilot Victor Glover described reentering the atmosphere as profound. The crew—Wiseman, Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—reached a record distance of 252,756 miles and saw a total solar eclipse as they emerged from behind the moon. Mission teams are focused on a planned Friday reentry and Pacific splashdown. Key details: - The crew members are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, and they reached 252,756 miles from Earth. - While behind the moon the crew lost contact with Earth for nearly an hour and observed a total solar eclipse as they reemerged. - A Pacific splashdown off the coast of San Diego is planned for Friday, with the recovery ship USS John P. Murtha already at sea and military aircraft and helicopters staged to assist. - The Orion capsule is expected to reenter at about 34,965 feet per second (about 23,840 mph), and Mission Control will watch how the heat shield performs after damage seen on a 2022 uncrewed test flight. - NASA adjusted Artemis II's atmospheric descent profile instead of replacing the heat shield; future flights are scheduled to use redesigned heat shields. Summary: The crew's accounts emphasize both the human experience and the scientific return of the nearly 10-day mission, which set a distance record and gathered new images and data. Mission Control will monitor the Orion heat shield closely during Friday's high-speed reentry and recovery operations are already in place off San Diego. NASA's next planned missions include Artemis III for docking practice in lunar orbit and Artemis IV, targeted for 2028, for a south-pole landing attempt.