Artemis II astronauts describe re-entry as being inside a fireball

The Artemis II crew said their capsule was surrounded by plasma during a high-speed re-entry and they splashed down in the Pacific after a 10-day mission.

Artemis II returned from a 10-day mission that took four astronauts farther into space than any humans have traveled to view the far side of the moon. The crew — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — spoke about their experiences in an interview that aired on April 17. They described intense conditions during re-entry as the capsule passed back through Earth's atmosphere. The mission ended with a parachute-assisted splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. What the crew reported: - Victor Glover said the lights were turned down and he felt like they were "inside a fireball," while he and Commander Reid Wiseman had panoramic views. - The flames the crew described were reported as plasma surrounding the capsule as it re-entered at nearly 25,000 miles per hour. - The astronauts deployed parachutes and touched down in the Pacific Ocean at the conclusion of the mission. - Glover described a moment of unfettered joy after splashdown, and Wiseman said he spoke with his older daughter by speakerphone shortly after landing. - Christina Koch said seeing the near side and far side of the moon together looked different and provided a clear sense that they were somewhere far from their starting point. Summary: The crew's accounts highlight both the intense physical environment of returning from deep space and the emotional relief of a safe splashdown. The mission offered first-hand observations of the lunar far side and a high-speed atmospheric re-entry. Undetermined at this time.