EverythingScience

"We are a mirror, reflecting you." Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen discusses ways that the crew worked together and supported each other throughout their lunar mission. Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience

"Planet Earth: You. Are. A. Crew." Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch reflects on what it means to be a "crew." Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience

"It's a special thing to be a human and it's a special thing to be on planet Earth." Remarks from Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman upon arriving to NASA Johnson. Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience

Let's run that back. One more time... Or two? Our crew is now safely back on Earth. Relive the historic mission, and keep an eye on our website as more images and videos keep rolling in. go.nasa.gov/3OhVQph Source: @NASA @EverythingScience

The Artemis II crew is back on Earth. The science is just getting started 🚀 Here in Houston, teams of scientists have already started digging into the data that the Artemis II crew has collected. What they learn from this process will shape the next missions to the Moon. NASA is preparing to send astronauts on increasingly difficult journeys, exploring more of the Moon and laying the groundwork required to go even further. Future missions will land astronauts in the lunar South Pole region for the first time. They'll investigate the landscapes around their landing sites and deploy science instruments on the lunar surface. Generations of scientists will analyze the samples they bring home. The data that future explorers collect about moonquakes, buried water ice, and the effects of radiation on plants and space crops will inform our future beyond Earth. Know before you go. Survive and thrive. Return safely. That’s NASA exploration science. 📷 Info: This shot is intentionally overexposed. For scientific analysis, the lunar science team requested multiple images of the same scene with different exposure settings—including overexposed, underexposed, & standard. Each highlights different aspects of the surface. Source: @NASASolarSystem @EverythingScience

'I'm at a loss for words': Artemis II mission comes home to joy and cheers after historic 10-day mission The Artemis II mission ended in a dramatic fashion on April 10, 2026, when NASA's Orion spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean, just off the coast of San Diego, closing out humanity's first crewed journey to the moon in over 50 years. The four-person crew — consisting of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — returned to Earth after a 10-day mission that tested the systems NASA plans to use for future lunar expeditions. NASA said the splashdown occurred at 8:07 p.m. EDT or 5:07 PST, with recovery operations led by the US Navy's USS John P. Murtha. An extreme homecoming Re-entry tends to be one of the more dramatic and dangerous parts of a mission, especially for Artemis II. Unlike return missions from the International Space Station, which begin in low Earth orbit and thus don't need nearly as much speed to return to Earth, Artemis II flew back into Earth's atmosphere from the moon at near-record-breaking speeds. Orion came back at roughly 24,600 mph (39,600 kmh), around 24 times the speed of a bullet. That faster speed meant that the capsule's heat shield endured around twice the amount of heat as a spacecraft coming back from the ISS. Source:Live Science @EverythingScience

Artemis II may have splashed down, but our photos and videos from the mission are still rolling in! Keep an eye on the latest: nasa.gov/artemis-ii-mul… Source: @NASA @EverythingScience

Big smiles from Christina and Victor on the deck of the USS John P. Murtha, as they waited to be escorted for their routine post-mission medical checks. Source: @NASA @EverythingScience

All four of the Artemis II astronauts have been successfully extracted from the Orion spacecraft following splashdown and are now on the USS John P. Murtha. Next up, they will be escorted to the medical bay where they will undergo post-mission medical evaluations. Source: @NASA @EverythingScience

Artemis 2 is back on Earth! Splashdown confirmed. @EverythingScience

Artemis 2 Main Chute Deployed! @EverythingScience

Orion’s crew and service module have separated. The crew module continues on its path towards Earth while the service module will harmlessly burn up in Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. The Artemis II return trajectory is designed to ensure any remaining debris does not pose a hazard to land, people, or shipping lanes. Source: @NASAArtemis @EverythingScience