Artemis II mission returns April 10 and a Kentucky artist says he can't stop smiling

The Artemis II crew is expected to return April 10, and the Orion capsule will bring back the mission patch designed by Kentucky artist Gregory Manchess. Manchess said the patch honors the many people behind the mission and took nearly two years to design.

The Artemis II crew is scheduled to return to Earth on April 10, bringing home scientific data, photographs and a mission patch designed by Kentucky artist Gregory Manchess. Manchess, a Fort Thomas native, designed the patch alongside the four crew members and said the artwork represents the contributions of many people who worked on the mission. He was given the NASA call sign "Patches" by the crew and said the design process took nearly two years. The mission also marked the first time humans traveled to the Moon in more than 50 years and included milestones for members of the crew. Key details: - The Orion capsule is expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere and make a water landing in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego at about 8:07 p.m. ET on April 10, according to USA TODAY reporting cited in the article. - Gregory Manchess designed the Artemis II mission patch and worked with astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen over roughly two years. - The crew asked the patch to reference the Apollo 8 Earthrise photograph and to echo elements of the Artemis logo; the team produced two versions, with the inbound patch showing Earth in the foreground. - The article notes Christina Koch became the first woman and Victor Glover the first Black man to travel to the vicinity of the Moon on this mission. - Manchess is an established illustrator and painter whose work has appeared in major publications and on U.S. Postal Service stamps, and he said the patch has personal and collective meaning for him. Summary: The mission patch designed by Manchess will return aboard Orion as the Artemis II crew completes its flight, and the capsule's splashdown is scheduled for the evening of April 10. The mission is described as a step toward NASA's goal of returning astronauts to the Moon, with a potential landing targeted for 2028.