Artemis II crew returns home

Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen safely returned to Earth after traveling farther from our planet than any humans in history.

The Orion spacecraft survived a fiery re-entry through the atmosphere, with its heat shield withstanding temperatures of 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit before deploying parachutes for a bullseye landing.

Following the splashdown, the crew was recovered by US Navy divers and hoisted by helicopter to the USS John P. Murtha for medical evaluation.

This mission serves as a critical stepping stone for NASA's plans to establish a permanent lunar base and eventually send humans to Mars.