Share and Follow
Newly released video captures the Artemis II astronauts grappling to find their footing after an intense re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, marking the end of their groundbreaking lunar mission.
The spacecraft blazed through the atmosphere at astonishing speeds of up to 25,000 miles per hour before executing a precise landing near San Diego, California, at 8:07 p.m. ET.
The mission’s crew—comprised of NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—completed a ten-day journey that took them around the moon and farther into space than any human has ventured before.
NASA declared the Artemis II mission an unequivocal triumph, as the capsule touched down exactly as planned, fulfilling all mission objectives.
After being retrieved from the Orion crew module and airlifted to the USS John P. Murtha, the pioneering astronauts were met with jubilant applause from those aboard the ship.
But as they exited the choppers, it was clear they struggled to walk normally due to their time spent in microgravity.
All four members of the team were supported by a person on each side, while a third assistant pushed a wheelchair behind them in case it was needed.
While a couple of the astronauts appeared to lean more heavily on the support than others, no wheelchair was required and one even walked unaided, waving triumphantly at staff on the ship.
All four members of the Artemis II crew were supported by a person on each side, while a third assistant pushed a wheelchair behind them in case it was needed, after arriving back from their moon mission
Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, is supported to walk as she arrives aboard USS John P Murtha
Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P Murtha
The astronauts were all able to walk under their own power, but struggled with balance and appeared to stagger slightly
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P Murtha
The crew appeared unsteady on their feet and staggered from the helicopters as their bodies adjusted to Earth’s gravitational pull after a little over nine days in space.
But reassuringly for the world to see, all were able to proceed under their own power.Â
Previous space flights, including the ten-month saga of stranded astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, required medical personnel to carry the astronauts because they were unable to walk well from their time in microgravity.Â
The longer someone spends in space, the harder it is for their brain to readapt to gravity upon their return to Earth.
In the first few hours, astronauts typically experience dizziness and even fainting spells, as well as balance issues and problems walking.
This is compounded by astronauts seeing their feet becoming more sensitive due to days spent without standing.
As the vestibular system – that of the inner ear – has become used to relative weightlessness, they also become nauseous, have motion sickness and a loss of sense of their limbs.
Longer term impacts including muscle mass and bone density loss are less likely to affect the Artemis II crew due to their relatively short time away from Earth.Â
Victor Glover, left and Jeremy Hansen, right, after they and fellow crewmates were extracted from their Orion spacecraft after splashdown
Victor Glover, left, and Christina Koch, right, after successfully splashing down following their historic moon mission
Pilot Victor Glover is assisted off the flight deck after arriving aboard USS John P. MurthaÂ
Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on April 10 after a ‘perfect’ reentry, according to NASA officials
Astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch were seen waving and hugging NASA chief Jared Isaacman after being pulled from the water
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called the moon mission ‘perfect’ and declared America’s intention to begin the work on a successful moon landing and construction of a lunar base by 2028.
Isaacman said: ‘We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon. This is just the beginning.’
Following their recovery from the Orion crew module and transfer to the naval vessel John P Murtha, the astronauts were seen in good spirits, waving to cameras and hugging Isaacman before heading for a standard medical checkup after the flight.
The voyage home started just after 7.30pm ET Friday night, with the Orion crew module blasting away from the spacecraft’s service module.
The separation exposed the craft’s heat shield, which protected the four-member crew as they plunged through Earth’s atmosphere, experiencing temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
As the capsule angled in for the perfect trajectory into the atmosphere, NASA lost contact with the spacecraft for six minutes just before 8pm as Orion collided with the upper atmosphere, causing what scientists called a ‘plasma buildup.’
Once the radio blackout cleared as planned, Orion successfully deployed its parachutes and safely landed in the Pacific without incident.
A slight communications glitch between the astronauts waiting in the water and the US Navy recovery teams delayed the crew’s exit from the craft, but once flight surgeons were able to board the capsule, they were able to give all four astronauts a clean bill of health.
Dr Lori Glaze, NASA’s deputy administrator, said her team was ‘thrilled’ to have the four astronauts home safely.
‘We accomplished what we set out to do,’ added Shawn Quinn, manager of NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program. ‘It’s good to be NASA, and it’s good to be an American today.’
President Donald Trump added his congratulations Friday night and invited the crew to the White House, posting on Truth Social: ‘I look forward to seeing you all at the White House soon. We’ll be doing it again and then, next step, Mars!’
Pictured: US Navy recovery crews arrived at the Orion space capsule minutes after the pod landed in the Pacific at 8.07pm ET
US Navy personnel work to recover the NASA Orion capsule which returned the Artemis II crew to Earth
Pictured:Â The NASA Artemis II crew, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Pilot Victor Glover
Pictured: The Artemis II spacecraft seen returning to Earth from its ten-day mission to circle the moon and break the distance record for human space flight
The Artemis II mission began back on April 1 with a successful launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A day later, the crew set off on a four-day trip to the moon, where they would travel around the dark side and break the decades-old record of Apollo 13 for the farthest distance from Earth humans have ever travelled.
While the Apollo crew travelled 248,655 miles from Earth in 1970, Artemis II reached a maximum distance of 252,756 miles on day six of their mission.
While conducting their lunar flyby, the astronauts also named two new craters discovered on the lunar surface, including naming one after the late wife of Artemis II mission commander Reid Wiseman, Carroll.
Amit Kshatriya, the associate administrator of NASA, said Artemis II was the ‘most important human space exploration mission in decades’.
‘Hopefully, history is kind to us,’ he added.
NASA administrators confirmed that the Artemis II flight crew was ‘happy and healthy’ Friday night. They added that the astronauts would be headed to the NASA space center in Houston on Saturday before spending time with their families.
The space agency’s focus will now turn to reviewing the data from Artemis II before beginning on the plans for Artemis III, which will also involve a lunar flyby but no landing.
Currently, NASA’s revamped plan for the moon includes sending an additional space flight, Artemis IV, as soon as 2028. That mission is expected to land on the lunar surface for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972.
According to Isaacman, that mission will also begin the work of building a permanent US moon base which will facilitate future human space travel and a manned mission to Mars.